An Unexpected Love
by Sesshomaru's Babydoll
Summary: One day a girl flies, literally, into Shigure and he doesn't transform. Before long she becomes engrossed in the lives of the Sohmas, causing events to unfold. But will they lead to the breaking of the curse or destroy them all? ShigurexOC
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi there everyone! I would like to take this time to say thank you for stopping in to read the following story. It makes me happy ^_^ Anyway, if you feel the inclination to review (gives puppy dog eyes) please do so and give constructive criticism, since this is my first fanfic. Any advice or tidbits are helpful if done tastefully. Just please NO FLAMES!

Having said that I sincerely hope you like my story and will continue to read it in the future. Now onward!

**Disclaimer: Though I will forever wish I did, I do not own Fruits Basket in anyway, shape or form. It belongs to the lovely Natsuki Takaya. However, the character Kara Williams is of my own creation, as are any other OCs that shall appear in later chapters. **

"Talking", _Thoughts_

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**Chapter One **

It truly was a beautiful day, really spectacular. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, his editor was running around like a maniac looking for him and any minute now Shigure's three young wards, as he preferred to call them in his head, would soon be returning from school. In other words time to mess with the youngsters! If he could embarass Yuki and Kyo a bit before dinner time Shigure would consider his day fulfilled.

_Of course, they had better not destroy my house again. I really have gotten sick of being berated by the main house for all of the repair bills lately. _Shigure heaved a sigh. _But it is a burden I am forced to bear._

While Shigure was busy posing in his "my-life-is-so-hard-but-I'll-bear-it-for-I-am-a-kind-hearted-man" pose with anime tears streaming down his face, a sound of crashing from the backyard woods could be heard. Shigure's ears perked up, trying to discern who or what was coming this way. He couldn't really tell from where he was in the house so Shigure soon found himself near the edge of the yard's perimeter. He concentrated hard, trying to figure out what the sound was. It had grown louder, definetly, but there was still no way to be certain of the sound's origins.

It wasn't long until Shigure could tell that whatever was heading this way had company. And, he couldn't be quite sure, was swearing?

Deciding it would be safer closer to the house, Shigure turned to retreat. However, he wasn't fast enough. Before he had taken three steps to safety, trouble burst forth from the woods. It came in the form of a pack of leashed dogs running full speed ahead. And a girl who was still connected to said leashes, mouthing off more swear words than even Shigure knew, who was flying straight toward him. There was no time to react. No time to stop what was about to happen.

_This is not good. _Shigure braced himself for the impact.

She landed, head first, into his left-side. The pain was bad, his ribs aching from the collision, which didn't really surprise him. But what did surprise Shigure was the fact that he had not transformed. The two hit the ground, the girl laying on top of him. Even as he fought to get his breath back Shigure still did not transform into the Dog of the Chinese Zodiac. He remained a man, not a black and furry dog, but a man.

_What the Hell?! _

Now, if Shigure wasn't so busy trying to figure out why he was still human, he surely would have thought he had died and gone to heaven. Afterall, his unexpected guest was lying sprawled out over him. The girl in question was rather very well developed, her curves fitting to his body and her distinguishably well endowed chest crushed to his. Her legs were spread across his waist, as if she were riding him, and her face had implanted itself into the crook of his neck, her lips nearly brushing the skin. Honestly, it would have made any pervert the happiest man alive.

Alas, his moment in heaven was cut short.

"Ah damnit! " The girl took a breath and pushed herself up, awakening Shigure to the fact he still had a guest. "I'm sooooo going to be feeling that in the morning." She sighed, reaching back to scratch her head.

Now having his own head in the present, Shigure took stock of the intruder to his wonderful day. Her face, on closer inspection, was actually quite mature, making Shigure guess her to be in high school. He smiled, singing the high school girl song in his head. Her hair was a rather endearing shade of light orange, curling around the shoulder blades in waves. And her eyes were crystal blue, so clear they held his breath. In all reality, the girl, who was still straddling him, was truly an exotic beauty.

_Well, well, well. It's not very often a beautiful woman comes rushing into my arms_. Shigure laughed at himself. _Listen to me. I sound like one of the characters from my books_.

Remembering the other members of his household would be returning home soon Shigure took a quick breath before ruining his beloved moment of pure pervert pleasure. He cleared his throat.

"Um, excuse me? I'm not sure if you've noticed, but you're kind of on top of me. Would you mind moving a little bit over so I could get up?" He smiled up at her, waiting for her reply. It came about five seconds later.....in the form of an ear-splitting scream.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?!" The girl jumped off of him, Shigure mentally crying over the lose of contact. Soon she was on her feet and offering her hand to help him get up.

"Really, I'm sorry. I can be such a ditz sometimes. I mean I was so zoned out of it I didn't even notice you there until you said something." She paused to take a breath. "Heck, I didn't even see you before I fell on top of you. I was so preoccuppied with trying to get the dogs to stop I wasn't paying attention to anything else." Her eyes flew to him then, realization dawning on her face. "Speaking of which, where are they?"

Shigure looked at her in confusion. "Where are who?"

"The dogs. Where'd they go?"

Shigure turned around, scanning the area behind him. What he saw brought actual tears to his eyes. It also made them bug-out in a rather comical way. The dogs, six in total, were busy sniffing and chewing away at the books and manuscripts lying around the floor of his office. The fact he was seeing such destruction to his beloved books kept him frozen in place. The same effect couldn't be applied to his young guest. Once her eyes managed to locate the dogs and absorb what they were doing the girl went into a wild fit.

"What the hell do you stupid mutts think your doing?! Leave it! Leave that stuff alone!" She ran toward the house, screaming at the pack of canines. Surprisingly, after reaching them the girl managed to physically lift and toss out every single one of them. The dogs looked at her with expressions of resentment, their fun having been denied by the will of a teenager. Already they were thinking of ways they could cause the rest of the girl's afternoon to be miserable. The girl in question was completely ignorant on the new threat to her health, not that she really would have cared at the moment. Instead, she was standing on the deck outside of his office, breathing heavily and looking as if she was either going to burst into tears or murder something.

By now Shigure was unfrozen and moving back to the house, chuckling quietly to himself. Afterall, there was a first time for everything.

"I see your dogs have quite the character. And quite the notions of how to have fun." He was in front of her now, moving past to see what he could salvage from the wreck. On first inspection it didn't look like much. He couldn't help the sigh that escaped his lips.

"Look, I'm really sorry about this. I know I've said that a lot in the past ten minutes but it's the truth." She turned around, facing his back. "I don't have much money right now, but I promise I will pay you for the damage. It might take awhile but it will be paid."

Shigure paused for a brief moment in his search. He was actually surprised the girl was already promising to pay for the expenses of repairing his book collection and such. Any other person he figured would have fled the scene within moments of the crime. And there was also the matter of his lack of transforming upon intimate contact with her. Shigure stood up from the floor, looking toward the young woman before him.

_She certainly is an interesting one. And a mystery_. "While I appreciate the offer, I'm not so sure that will be necesary." He held his hand up before she could protest. "And besides, it's such a nice day. What's without a little trouble to keep things interesting?" He smiled at her. "Now, how about you join me for some tea? You could tell me how you managed to be dragged through the woods by a pack of dogs. I'm sure it must be a great tale."

She looked at him as if he were crazy. Then, her shoulders slumped in resignation.

"Well, if you really want me to sure. I mean it's the least I can do right now." Though how it was helping him to act as host when she had been the one causing trouble the girl did not understand.

Shigure smiled even more. "Thank you, I appreciate it." He started walking toward the screen dividing his office from the rest of the house before turning around again. "By the way I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Shigure. Shigure Sohma." He smiled warmly, waiting for her reply. It took a few seconds before the girl realized what was going on.

"Oh. Well, nice to meet you Shigure-san." She smiled for the first time. The sight was mesmorizing. "The name's Kara. Kara Williams."

Kara stuck out her hand, waiting for Shigure to do the same.

_Interesting one indeed_.

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A/N: So what did you all think? After this chapter, which was mainly for introduction purposes, the plot will pick up and you will learn more about Kara.....obviously. Now that I've stated the obvious please review with your comments and critique. Thanks again for sticking through to the end ^_^


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Before I start this I would like to bring up a point on the rating of this story. As I do not yet know how mature certain aspects of the story will get I feel it necesary to for warn everyone that it might have to be pushed up later on.

Also, I want to take the time to thank ChipsAhoyPup and SwannTurner (now a member and my baby daughter; you mess with her you mess with me lol) for reviewing. I loved them! Hopefully, more of you will decide to review after reading^_^

Now onward dear reader and set forth on your quest!.....or you could just read the story....hehehehehe.

**Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish it I will never own Fruits Basket. It all belongs to Natsuki Takaya-sensei. I do own Kara Williams and any other OCs introduced in later chapters. **

"Talking", _Thoughts_

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**Chapter Two **

"So, I get the impression you're not from around here." By now Shigure was sitting down at the table with Kara and pouring freshly brewed tea for them both. Apparently, Kara had been amazed he was capable of brewing a pot of tea since, according to her, all men were babies and needed women to do everything for them. He had feigned hurt at her words, which she simply rolled off with a dead-panned 'You are such a bad actor' look.

"Yeah, I actually just moved here not two weeks ago." Kara took the cup of tea Shigure held out for her smiling slightly. "But you have no way of knowing that. So, what gave me away?" She leaned forward, waiting for his answer.

He looked thoughtful for a moment."Well, I'd have to say your accent." At this Kara looked confused. Her accent? How the bloody hell did that give her away?

"My accent?"

"Yes, your accent. It doesn't quite ring of someone Japanese born." A somewhat anime-like cheesy background seemed to pop out of nowhere behind Shigure as he spoke of a true Japanese accent. "Now, if I were to compare your accent with that of some random person off the street I'm sure you would clearly see that..."

"Ok, ok I get it. My accent sucks." Kara got the impression if she didn't interrupt Shigure now she'd be stuck listening to him yammering on about the subject of accents for quite awhile. "But hey, what do you expect from a Yank whose only been learning to speak Japanese for the last three years?" She shrugged. In Kara's mind she couldn't care less at how geniune her Japanese sounded. As long as she could get her point across and everyone understood her, for the most part, everything was fine.

Apparently Shigure didn't really care either because he dropped the matter entirely and jumped to a new subject.

"So you're from America then?" He smiled at her kindly, geniuely intrigued now. "Now how did you manage to get all the way over here to Japan? You seem a bit young to be living by yourself in a foreign country. You must still be in high school."

The teenager scratched her head. "Yeah, I am. And to be quite honest Shigure-san, if you don't mind me calling you that, I don't see how I came to be living here is any of your business."

"No, your right it isn't. I'm just currious, that's all. Oh and don't worry about calling me that. It's perfectly fine with me, as long as I can call you Kara-san." He still had that smile on his face, which Kara was begining to like, as well as find just a little creepy.

_Y'know I wonder if this guy is a pervert. I'm just getting this slightly weird vibe and all that I can label it with is 'pervert'. Oh well. At least he hasn't done anything_.

It was at that point Kara's brain decided to remember the position she had found herself in less then an hour ago in Shigure's backyard. The memory of her sprawled out over him, spread eagle no less, caused her cheeks to flush.

_Now that's something I'd rather not think about right now_. Kara mentally sighed._ Actually, I'd rather not think about that at all_.

She plastered a smile on her face as well. "Sure thing." Now it was her turn to look for a new topic. Anything to keep him from asking about her blush. She got the impression Shigure was the kind of person who would ask and pester until she gave up.

"So....oh yeah!" Kara snapped her fingers in the spirit of inspiration. "Shigure-san, didn't you say earlier you wanted to know how I managed to get dragged through the woods by a pack of dogs?" At his surprised nod she continued. "Well I just realized I never explained that. We got a little busy chatting about other things." She laughed nervously.

Shigure smirked. He could tell Kara was bringing this up on purpose, and he had a good idea why.

_Probably didn't want me asking the reason behind that blush. It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out but...oh well, guess it will remain a mystery. _

"Yes, you're right I did." He looked at her directly."So how did a fair maiden such as yourself come to be in such a situation?"

The way he kept his eyes on her made Kara a bit uncomfortable. She also didn't like the complete focus he was giving her at the moment. Deciding to be a coward for the moment, which Kara would berate herself later for, Kara's eyes wandered to one of the walls of the room.

"Well, I don't know about being a fair maiden but the whole thing started when I was out walking the mutts." She moved her hand to the side, indicating the pack of canines lounging about outside of the house. "You see, for the moment I'm a dog walker. Being new to the area I needed to find a job quickly so I had some money on hand and, well, I somehow wound up with this job" Kara gave a small smile, obviously thinking about the events that had caused her to come to have such an odd job.

"Anyway, today I was a little overloaded with the mutts due to circumstances I won't even bother bringing up. Then, when I took them to the park Pachii, he's the little fluffy one of the group, started acting a little strange. Within about twenty minutes the rest of them had picked up on it and were acting the same as Pachii. So, once I knew they were all of their rocker for the time being I decided I'd call it a day and start bringing them back to their homes. Now....well this is where it's just a bit freaky." Kara paused, as if embarassed or confused on how to continue.

Shigure leaned across the table and patted the back of her hand lightly. "It's alright. Just keep telling it. I won't judge your sanity, at least not right away."

Kara rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the support. Anyway where was I? Oh yeah, we had left the park and were quite a few miles down the road when the wind changed directions and suddenly...they all just stopped in their tracks." Her expression turned a little irritated at the memory. "I mean they were literally stuck there on the sidewalk like statues. No matter how much I shoved, pushed and pulled on them they just wouldn't budge. Not one inch." The fact that she hadn't been able to make them move still erked Kara a bit. She considered herself very athletic and reasonably strong. So the fact she hadn't been able to move any of them, including tiny less than twenty pounds Pachii, hurt her pride just the tiniest bit.

"So after trying to get them to move for like five minutes, without any response on their end mind you, they all just suddenly come alive. It was like someone went and lit a match under each of their doggie asses." Kara paused to take a sip of her tea which she had somehow allowed to get lukewarm. However, it was still extemely good. "Now you can imagine after having six dogs completely frozen and oblivious to the world for a while, you might let your guard down and not be prepared if something unexpected should happen. Well, to be honest that was me when they all started running off down the street." She laughed now, realizing how silly she must have looked being dragged down the road by six unruly mutts.

"And after being dragged for god only knows how long I somehow wound up in your backyard and, well, here we are." She chuckled quietly, thinking the events leading up to her meeting with Shigure were rather what she could tell Shigure seemed to be having the same thought as he too was chuckling. They just sat there for a few moments in companionable silence, leaning toward each other across the table and looking at the other.

She was surprised really. In all honesty, Kara felt completely at ease and comfortable with the man in front of her. She didn't feel the need to act anything different from herself like she did with most adults and, she didn't really want to admit it, there was something alluring about him. Kara wasn't sure what it was, but she knew for sure she was begining to like the man.

_Even if he does act like a complete idiot and puts out the "I'm a perv" vibe with that smile of his_. Oh well. Kara knew she had weirder friends so it didn't bother her. Besides, she preffered the weird ones to normal people. They went against convention and acted the way they wanted to, not caring how the world percieved them. At least most of the time.

_Time....hmmm now why does that make me think of....oh crap_.

"Um, hey Shigure-san. You wouldn't happen to know what time it is would you?" Kara was afraid to know the answer to her question.

"Hm? Oh well, let's see." He pulled back the sleeve of his kimono to look at the watch on his wrist, a gift he'd been given by Hatori a few years ago and was only wearing today on a whim. "It appears to be around quarter to four." A few beats of absolute silenced passed in which Shigure waited. Then, there was a very loud slam on the table causing Shigure to look up. What he found was his young guest freaking out and, he noticed again, running at the mouth with the foul language.

"Oh shit, that's just great, just fucking great! I'm gonna be late for dropping those dumbass mutts off. I'll be late for my other goddamn job, hell, I'll likely be fired. Seriously, that old bitch they call my supervisor hates me. I mean come on it's not my fault I'm younger looking than her it just has to do with age, simple as that, she needs to get a fucking life instead of bitching and moaning at me all the time! And.....and why am I saying this all to you?" Kara's energy seemed to deflate once she realized she was spilling all of her repressed anger, she preffered to call it negative energy thinking it made her sound less like a bitch, to Shigure, a man she'd met less than an hour or so ago and who she probably owed a few hundred bucks for all the books her lovely canine friends had destroyed earlier.

_Wait, it's yen Kara. Yen!_

She laid her forehead on the table, wishing she could slam it against the wood a few times to see if she'd start acting like a sane person anytime soon.

_I doubt it._

At that precise moment, Shigure burst out laughing. His laughter took Kara by surprise. She hadn't been expecting _that_ to be his reaction. If anything she had expected to be welcomed with a quick 'goodbye' and a 'I better have my money soon' while being shoved out the door. But then when she thought about it, Kara supposed laughter did fit Shigure better for something like this. He was the kind of man who preffered laughing things off, at least in appearance, that she was certain of. And he did have a nice laugh. It made her feel relaxed. And at home. Now why was that?

When she brought her attention back to him Kara was surprised to see Shigure hunched over the table, still laughing over her rant earlier. The fact he was still laughing made Kara a bit embarassed, which did not sit well with her. Afterall, she rarely got embarassed. She was usually the one embarassing the people around her.

Kara took a deep breath before speaking."Do you mind me asking what's so funny Shigure-san?" She arched her left eyebrow up at him, wishing he would just stop. It really was embarassing, and now reaching the verge of irritating.

He looked up at her, his dark grey eyes filling with tears of mirth. It took him a few moments before Shigure found himself able to speak clearly.

"Hahaha, I'm sorry Kara-san. It's just the expression on your face was priceless and the way you said all of that just...hehehehe.."Shigure broke down laughing again. he couldn't help himself. The expression on her face had been priceless. In fact it had been hilarious! Kara had looked as if the world was coming to an end, going into complete spazz mode as if she were Mii or Ritsu. It hadn't been as dramatic, but far more amusing....and more colorful in language.

_Really, the girl has quite the mouth on her. Apart from the fact it's a rather attractive looking mouth_.

The fact Shigure was laughing, still, at whatever expression she had been making caused Kara to think perhaps now was a good time to leave. Besides, according to the time she needed to get going anyway or she likely would be without a job by the end of the night. Kara did not like that thought. She rose from her position at the tabloe and stood. Her movement seemed to knock Shigure out of his fit of giggles and back to the present.

Kara brought her blue gaze to his grey, looking at him hard. "Thanks for the hospitality Sohma-san, but I need to get going now." Turning towards the screen that acted as the rooms door Kara began to walk out of the room, but was stalled in her trek by a firm, yet gentle hand rest on her shoulder. She looked back to find Shigure standing behind her with a somewhat solemn expression on his face.

"I'm sorry Kara-san. I did not mean to offend you." The look he was giving her had Kara wishing she'd walked a little faster out of the room. Stomach started to make strange movements and left her feeling rather unsettled. She shifted her gaze back toward the room exit.

"It's fine...Shigure-san. You didn't offend me. Really. I just needed to get going because as you already know I'm rather late for work."

"Really?" He sounded amused. It irked her some more.

"_Really_." She emphasized the word, hoping the subject would just drop.

Kara shifted her weight from on foot to the other. She really just wanted him to let go of her shoulder. Then, maybe the goosebumps on her arms would go away.

_Ok get a grip on yourself Kara. You're starting to sound like one of those lovestruck heroines from all the shojo manga you read_.

Though she couldn't see it somehow Kara felt Shigure shake his head from behind her.

"Well, if you say so." Finally, he released her shoulder. Inside her head Kara was doing a little jig. "But before you go I'd like to give you something." The man walked right past her and headed for god only knew where. From she could see, Kara would have to say the house was rather large and, in her opinion, held too much room for just one bachelor. Not that she really cared but it just seemed like a waste of space.

Shigure arrived again within a few moments of leaving, a piece of paper in his hands. He was smiling again too. The perv vibe was definetly going off, but at the same time Kara could tell the smile was geniune. Weird, but she wasn't going to say anything.

"I remember you saying you had only moved here about two weeks ago, and since you're new to Japan I thought you might like to have someone to call in case you need any help." He handed Kara the piece of paper, which held what Kara discerned as to be Shigure's number. A part of her brain wondered what kind of help he might be implying but decided it wasn't worth the trouble of asking. Besides, it would be nice to at least have one person who she could turn to, apart from her neighbors in her apartment complex. Even if Shigure was a bit of a perv Kara didn't care. She'd managed to make a friend in this new world she was in. The thought made a smile form on her lips.

"Thank you Shigure-San. I'll make sure that I do." She smiled at him more. "I appreciate it, really."

"I'm glad to hear it." At the moment he was more glad she was smiling at him. That expression was absolutely mesmorizing on her. It made him feel rather like an idiot, which he wasn't that accostumed to. Sure, everyone thought he was an idiot. Shigure just had never felt that way before. It made him a little uncomfortable.

Kara sighed. "Well, I better get going then. Thanks for the tea Shigure-san, and again sorry about earlier. I really feel bad about that."

The man simply waved his hand, dismissing her apologies. "Don't worry about it. Everything is fine. Besides, if this hadn't happened the two of us never would have met." His gaze was serious now, but still held a softness. "And I find myself glad that I did."

Lips pulling back in a small smile, Kara found herself agreeing with him. "Yeah, same here. Well, good-bye then Shigure-san." She started to walk away.

"Yes, until next time Kara-san." Before opening the door, Kara found herself looking back at him. He stood there smiling thoughtfully as he waited for her to depart. And in that moment Kara found herself admitting the very obvious.

_God is he hot._ If she wouldn't have looked so stupid Kara would have smacked her head. She really was oblivious. And stupid...and slow. _Alright, enough with the self-abuse. _

Then, just as Kara was moving to pull open the door it slide in front of her to reveal three people walking straight toward her. The fact that the one in front slammed into her meant they weren't even aware of her being there. The person she collided with grunted in pain, but along with the grunt there were a few audible gasps. The other two must have been caught by surprise as well.

When Kara went flying onto her butt she couldn't help but get a little pissed off at the guy in front of her. She knew it was a guy by the sound of his grunt and how his chest had felt upon impact. Flat as a washboard. Now, here she was on the ground again today and for Kara it was the last straw to an overall bad day.

"Hey! Watch where you're going next time dumbass! Believe it or not you might actually manage to walk two feet in front of you without bumping into the first goddamn piece of shit you find." Without even looking at the guy in question Kara stormed out of Shigure's house, walking straight past the other two. When she got to the yard Kara quickly gathered up the dogs, who were surprisingly listening to her at the moment, and fled the yard. She didn't want to be anywhere near the place anymore. Right now she just needed to breathe.

As Shigure watched her go he could hear, more like feel the shock that Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru were experiencing at the moment.

"What the hell was that?" Kyo's voice was so shocked it only came out as a hear whisper.

Shigure turned to them and sighed, scratching the back of his head as he tried to think of something to say.

The three teenagers adjusted their attention to the older man, hoping to get some kind of answer.

The man in question shrugged at his younger cousins and one boarder. "To put it simply... a mystery."

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A/N: Ok, you know a little more about Kara now but I bet you're all wondering "Why aren't the guys transforming?" Well you shall see dear reader, but all in good time. Anyway please review and if there were any major spelling mistakes or anything else of the sort please forgive me. It is almost one in the morning and I'm still typing away at this. Geez, I need to shut up and go to bed. Again, please review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hi everyone I'm back! I have been spending a great deal of time planning this chapter as it will begin to reveal more of Kara's past and what she's actually doing in Japan, so I apologize for the wait.

Now, I feel I should give a few details on when this story actually takes place. An Unexpected Love will be following the manga storyline fairly close, but there may be slight differences. So in chapter one the story was starting just before the hot spring trip on White Day, meaning sometime in March or early April. I place it in March for timing purposes so if you hate me for that I apologize.

I would like to take the time to thank SwannTurner, check out her Vampire Knight fic, and my anonymous reviewer glub glub for their reviews. Also, for everyone who is reading this story and not reviewing I ask that you take thirty seconds out of your day to just write down a few words for me and send it. Please, it's all I ask. Critique is good people and I rarely get it, so PLEASE I need it!

Now that I have asked you all to review and have relayed some important information all that's left to say is.......enjoy ^_^

**Disclaimer: I do not, under any circumstances, own Fruits Basket. It all belongs to the lovely, talented, and so extremely lucky Natsuki Takaya-sensei. However, I do own the character Kara Williams and any other OCs introduced in later chapters. **

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_Good God I'm bored_.

That thought continued to flit through Kara's mind as she stared up at the plain white ceiling of her one room apartment. Very little had happened in recent weeks since the start of the new school term. Already Kara was feeling comfortable with her classmates, as they were with her, the foreigner. Her teachers were all very nice, yet managed to demand respect in a way where she felt happy to give it. Even the principle was interesting. A little annoying, but interesting nevertheless.

However, with the good luck of school had come the crappy luck of work. As she'd expected, Kara found herself being reprimanded by her manager when she arrived at work late on the day she had met Shigure. The woman had not taken her tardiness well. In fact the woman had gotten so upset Kara swore she saw her face begin to turn purple. But like always, Kara managed to say something completely inapproriate at the wrong time. It had been so small a thing in her mind Kara didn't even remember what she'd said. Though her manager certainly thought it was a big thing considering she had fired Kara on the spot, telling her to find her last paycheck in the mail and to get an attitude adjustment in order to properly respect her elders.

Even though being fired was a drag Kara couldn't say she was unhappy about the job loss. She still had the dog walking position for some income until she found another second job so she wasn't broke, but still, she just couldn't find anything interesting of late to preoccuppy herself outside of the classroom. To top it off, whenever she was walking the dogs Kara's mind often wandered back to the happier moments of that day back in mid-March. The day she had met Shigure.

_Oh for God's sake, give it a rest. It's not like you gave him your number and he never called. He gave you __**his**__. Now suck it up!_

Kara sighed and turned herself onto her stomach, burying her head into the one pillow that graced its prescene on her bed.

_Futon, idiot. It's a bloody futon since you can't afford to get a bed._

Even after living in Japan for almost a month Kara still found certain words in her vocabulary lacking. Not to mention her peolpe skills needed a little improving. On a few rare occasions she would forget about adding honorifics to peoples names, usually just when she was introduced to the person. The few times she'd slipped had been absolutely mortifying. Thankfully everyone blew it off as the dumb foreigner. It hurt Kara's pride when people thought that about her but sometimes it was better to let them think that than explain her memory loss. Afterall, it wasn't like she hadn't been called dumb before.

_You're a stupid, worthless piece of shit. You deserve this. That's why nobody wanted you. That's why they gave you up. _

Scowling, Kara pushed herself up onto her elbows, mentally putting those old words from her mind. It wasn't true, what he had said. Somebody had wanted her. Enough to save her from that hell hole she had once thought of as home. Now she thought of it little better than a prision. Oh well, it was in the past. The memories and scars she carried with her from that place would remain, but it didn't mean she couldn't still live a life. If she didn't Kara was fairly certain there would be hell to pay when she finally decided to join her mom in the afterlife.

_And that ass-whooping would only be the first step. Knowing you Terrace, there'd be a hell of tongue lashing too. _

A small smile crept onto Kara's face as she imagined the scene. As she arrived at the pearly white gates there would stand Terrace, her beloved mother, waiting for her. Then, as Kara got close enough the older woman would grab her by the hair and start ranting on how she had been too thick headed and stubborn to listen to some good motherly advice. Advice she still would be getting on a regular basis if no for the accident.

Abruptly her smile faded. Even after six months Kara still couldn't quite grasp the fact that no matter how hard she didn't want to believe it, Terrace was gone. Her happiness had been taken from her. And for all Kara knew that feeling of protection and warmth would never return. It was alomst enough to make one depressed. However, the clock showed it to be nearing two-thirty in the afternoon, meaning Kara was due to pick up her first dog of the day in twenty minutes. _Great._

As Kara began to gather her things and throw on some clean clothes she heard a rather abrupt knock come from the front door. Moving past the mess that filled her apartment, which she hated but was never moivated to pick up, Kara's mind whirled over who her visitor could possibly be. Once the door was open she discovered her neighbor, Hime Otoshi, standing outside. And looking as if someone had died.

_Oh shit, Kaoru-san better not have just kicked the bucket early and left Hime-san with the kids. _

Kaoru-san, Hime-san's husband, had recently been down on his luck with jobs. The man was a hard worker, yet ever time the company he worked for needed to down size the man was always on the chopping block. Kara failed to understand why considering how great of a guy he was. And the man never complained about it, at least none of which Kara had ever heard. He had also just recovered from a bad cold. A cold that he needed to be rushed to the hospital for.

Kara opened the door wider in order to get a better look at Hime. "Hime-san, what's wrong? What happened?"

The young mother simply stared at Kara as if not really seeing her. Suddenly, her eyes seemed to refocus and become clouded by one emotion. Fear. A shiver ran down Kara's spoine which she ignored. This wasn't the time for that. Obviously, Hime needed her help. She would gladly give it to the woman who had treated her like an older daughter since her arrival. Kara just needed to know what Hime needed help with.

Reaching for the older woman's hand, Kara held it in hers. "Hime-san, please. Tell me what's wrong."

Hime seemed to hesitate a moment, then sighed. When she spoke it was barely louder than a whisper. "She's gone." Hime looked Kara straight in the eye. "She's been missing for hours and I can't find her anywhere. I've looked and looked, but..." Her voice cracked, showing how close to breaking down she was. Kara couldn't have that, not yet. She had to know more, have her own fears confirmed.

"Who's gone Hime?" She didn't want to hear the answer. Really she didn't. But Kara had to.

Taking large gulps of air Hime managed to answer her. "Nane."

It was all Kara needed. Taking two seconds to grab her coat and keys, she bolted. And once she got to the street she didn't stop. Nane-chan, the precious little four year old who thought of her as a big sister was missing. Only hell freezing over would cause her to stop looking for the girl until she was found, back home, and safe. Nothing, absolutely nothing else would.

Kara refused to lose one of the few things left prescious to her. She had already failed at protecting one of them. She would not fail this time.

*********************

A slight ominous feeling swept through Shigure's body. He hadn't the faintest idea why. Perhaps it was the weather. In the past hour dark clouds had moved in, threatening to spoil the day with a hard shower, but even he didn't believe that. With a sigh he continued walking down the hall. There really wasn't any point to worrying over it. Afterall, que sera, sera; what will be, will be. The saying brought a quick grin to his face. What a pleasant way of looking at the world. Now, if that were the only way he viewed it.

Suddenly, shouting errupted from the kitchen, dragging Shigure out of his musings. Not that he was surprised, heavens no. Not a single day went by without some form of an arguement being heard from his two younger cousins. Though he would love for some peace and quiet, Shigure was rather certain he'd miss some of this once he's young charges left. It was enough to put a slight damper on his mood.

Shigure entered the kitchen to find Kyo yelling at Yuki (no surprise), Yuki speaking to Kyo like the idiot he was (no surprise), and Tohru off on the sidelines freaking out, begging the two to stop (no surprise), all the while dinner was slowly cooking on the stove. It was like facing a battle before reaching paradise, the paradise known to his stomach as Tohru's home cooking.

With a quiet grumble to himself Shigure left the room before anyone took notice of his prescene and he somehow become involved. Today he just wasn't interested in teasing Yuki or Kyo. For some reason it felt like a waste of energy. Perhaps he needed to call Aya, or maybe even Hatori. he hadn't seen either of them in a while and he was bored. Not even torturing Mii these days was as fun as it usually was. A pity that. He next deadline was coming up soon too.

_Perhaps I really should have gone to the hot springs with them. For some reason I feel unbalanced, as if something is about to happen, but I don't know what. And I'm slightly worried that whatever it is I'll have no control over it. _

If he really thought about it Shigure knew when he had started feeling this way. He still remembered that day. How nice the weather had been, what he had been thinking....how she had felt and looked on top of him. He stiffened, remembering the contact of her body, where they had touched, how good it had felt. A slightly frusturated groaned escaped his lips. No matter how hard he tried Shigure could not seem to forget her.

_Kara_. Even after nearly a month of not seeing the young woman's face, she still plagued him. Her laugh, her smile, the way she spoke, all of it seemed to fascinate him. And there was still the matter of why he had not transformed when she had fallen on top of him. It made no sense. Even Hatori didn't have an answer. For once the doctor was just as confused as himself.

Whatever the reasons for his lack of transforming, Shigure deeply regreted not getting her number. At least he''d been able to think of a plausible excuse for giving her his. But she never called. And he really wished she would. The fact that he did scared him a little. He really needed to get back to normal. Afterall, he still had to make sure the curse was evetually broken and he could finally have her. _Akito_.

Just as Shigure was passing the front door he heard a hesitant knock. Intrigued by the possibility of a late visitor he opened the door. And found nothing. That is until he looked down and found a small child, a little girl, soaked from the now pouring rain and looking up at him, scared.

Concerned, he squated down so he was eye level with her, then smiled warmly so she wouldn't looked so frightened. It seemed to work a little. "Well, hello there. Are you alright sweetie? Did you get lost?" When she nodded quickly he smiled a little more. "Well, how about we get you dried off and something warm to eat while I try to find out where you belong?" The child hesitated, obviously worried about the fact he was a stranger.

"It's alright. I won't hurt you. In fact there's another girl here who I'm sure would be happy to meet you." At her surprised look he grinned. Calling out behind him, Tohru arrived seconds later. The teenager took one look at the little girl and immediately went into mothering-mode. It really was cute.

As Tohru helped the girl get dried off while he went to grab a blanket for her, Shigure could hear Tohru asking the child her name.

In a small voice he heard her answer. "Nane."

_Nane, hmm? _For some reason it seemed to fit.

Leaving Tohru to see to Nane Shigure headed toward the kitchen after fetching the blanket the girl was now wrapped up in. Perhaps he could grab a quick snack from the stove before dinner.

Little did Shigure know that things were about to get far more interesting.

**************

A/N: Well there you are folks. Sorry again for taking so long I just really didn't have the motivation to write, (Hint: Review!). Anyway, I hope to update a lot sooner this time since I actually know what I'm planning on doing. Again, thanks for reading and please leave a review!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: OMG I didn't actually fall off the face of the earth?! Hooray! Yes dear readers, I am back........finally. I want to put out there I have had a lot of stuff going on in the last few months and I blame part of that for being a senior. College applications are just the best (sarcasm _very_ heavy). Anyway, I also knew exactly what I wanted to write for this chapter, I was just having a really, _really_ hard time getting it started.

I want to take this time to thank everyone who has been reviewing this story, love to you all. And to those who have put this on their alert or favorities. Now for those who are only reading the story......PLEASE REVIEW! Reviews make me very happy^_^

One final note, check out my other two fanfics I'm working on at the moment. Broken is on hiatus at the moment until I finish watching the _Angel_ series and Gazing At A Beautiful Moon is already under way on a second chapter because I love Kakashi so much.

Now, please enjoy the long chapter and hopefully there will be more within the next week.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing people! Fruits Basket belongs to Natsuki Takaya. However, the character Kara Williams is mine and any other OCs in later chapters. **

* * *

Rain continued to fall from the sky in heavy sheets. Even after four hours it refused to let up.

_Not that it really matters. I'm already soaked to the bone_.

Kara sighed, growing more frusturated by the minute. According to Hime-san, Nane had been missing for an hour, maybe more, before Kara herself had left in search of the youngster. Now another four hours had gone by, totaling to five, with no sign of Nane anywhere. That meant five hours in this down pour. By the time Kara found her, if she ever did, the poor kid would be dying of pneumonia.

_Not gonna happen. I __**refuse**__ to let that happen. _

The streets were fairly bare now, most people deciding not to face the fury of Mother Nature. But Kara trudged on, running the streets again and again, trying to find the four-year-old. Her efforts were futile. No matter where she looked the teenager could not find Nane. Even the people she asked could not seem to recall the child. It was as if she had disappeared. That thought made Kara very uneasy.

After looking at the clock to check the time once again, it was now nearing eight, Kara decided it would be a good idea to check in with Hime-san, as she had been every hour in case Nane found her way home. Unfortunately, there was no pay phone in sight.

_Great. Now what am I suppose to do? Go beg some shop owner to use their phone? _Kara winced at the thought, never having been one to beg before but realized she had no choice. She needed to use a phone and she needed to use it **now**. It just meant Kara would have to throw away her pride, a thing that seemed to be happening with great frequency lately. That thought she decided not to dwell on.

There were not any stores close by to where Kara was standing on the street, but there appeared to be one not too far down. She ran toward it, hoping that by some chance they would still be open. For once luck was with her. The lights were still on and the "open" sign had yet to be flipped over. The automatic doors parted for Kara when she approached, the warmth the building offered calling to her. Once inside her body began to soak up the heat, having been outside in the cold weather for too long. It was then that Kara began to take in what kind of store it was.

For all appearances it seemed to be a sewing and fabric shop. Yards of fabric and other finer material took up space on shelves, while completed and in-progress pieces could be seen throughout. There was even an area of the store dedicated to sewing tools, such as needles and threads. And the feel of the place was so welcoming. It brought a slight smile to Kara's face, reminding her of all the projects Terrace had started but never managed to finish. They had always found their way to the house's attic, or else the trash.

There was a sudden movement near the back of the store, bringing Kara out of her trip down memory lane and back to the present. She looked toward the source of the disturbance, only to stare in wonder and contemplate whether or not she had managed to hit her head on the way in. Just emerging from the back of the shop was a young woman with braided brown hair and round glasses. And she was wearing a maid's uniform.

At first, Kara could only stare in shock. Then, as the fact of what she was seeing was real, the young American found herself in awe, not to mention mentally squealling in delight. The woman was just so adorable in that getup and Kara had always been of fan of lolita styled clothing. Her thoughts began to turn in the direction of making the outfit more frilly, with ribbons added in the right places. The image forming in her mind was absolutely beautiful. Now if only she knew how to sew.

The woman responsible for turning Kara's thoughts in the direction they were going finally noticed there was someone else in the store besides herself. She smiled brightly as she came forward.

"Hello there, miss. Welcome to Ayame's Shop. I'm Mine 'll be closing in a few minutes but if you still would like to look around feel free." She swept her arm through the air around her, indicating to the shelves filled with material. "And if you need any assistance please don't hesitate to ask."

Not only was Mine adorable on the outside, but her voice was so sweet and innocent as well. It made her appear even more cute.

_I wanna glomp her so bad. Would she freak if I did?_ Kara sighed mentally, reminding herself that now was not the time. She had more important things to be doing than imagining pretty dresses and hugging adorable people. She had to call Hime and find out whether or not Nane had made it home. If she hadn't, Kara needed to get back to the streets immediately and start looking again. She really hoped by some miracle she wouldn't have to.

"Thanks for offering and honestly I really do need your help." Kara quickly continued on when Mine's face lit up at the prospect of assisting a customer. "You see, I need to get to a phone right away. I need to know whether or not someone I know is still if it's not too much trouble, could I please use yours Kuramae-san?" She softened her face a few fractions, knowing she probably looked a tad ridiculous. At the moment Kara didn't care. If Mine Kuramae turned out to be a cruel woman, though she highly doubted that, Kara would not hesitate to throw away her pride and get on the floor to beg.

Thankfully, she didn't have to. And for the second time in the last month Kara was reminded that there really were good people in the world.

"Oh, of course you can!" Mine rushed forward, taking Kara's still somewhat cold hands in hers. "Here, it's in the back. Let me show you." The young woman pulled Kara rather forcefully to the back, nearly causing the teenager to trip over a bolt of fabric lying on the ground.

Within moments they had entered the area of the store where the phone was located. It was on a shelf not a few feet away. And between the two women and the phone was a rather tall, and elegant, handsome young man with long silver hair. When he noticed them he quite literally exploded, in the sense of talking with his mouth that is.

"Mine-chan, who is this creature you have brought me?! She looks positively drenched! And that ensemble of hers looks as if it has seen better days." He came closer, right up to her face, inspecting her apparel and appearance. Kara started to feel like a car or some other object being appraised for value. She did not like it. But she was too startled by the man's nearness that she could not find her voice to tell him off. Unfortuantely, he kept looking her over. And talking.

"No, this will not do at all. We must find something more suitable for you to wear. Mine-chan, bring out that light blue piece I just finished. It should look absolutely marvelous on her." He held up his hand in a superior gesture as Kara opened her mouth to finally say something. "Really, there is no need to thank me. I see it as my job to make things beautiful. For as I already reap the benefits of true beauty I do not see why others should not as well." He looked down at Kara, a smile on his face. "And I also feel flowers should blossom so the rest of the world may see their true beauty. Even if they are covered in dirt, they should rise up from their troubles and bloom."

This time when Kara could not find her voice, it was due to the fact of what he had said. The man, who she assumed was Kuramae-san's boss, had just insulted her, inspected her like some inatimate object, and spoken to her in a high handed manner. Then, he had complimented her. In a way, Kara slowly found herself liking this man. He may be insulting and give off an air of superiorty, but he also possessed kindness. Interesting.

It was then Mine decided to speak up.

"I'm sorry Master, but helping her bloom will have to wait a moment." When the young man looked up at Mine, startled, she continued. "She needs to use our phone right away. Someone could be in trouble if she doesn't."

His face turned to absolute shock. "But of course! Why didn't you say something sooner?! I will not stand in the way of a brave young maiden on her quest to avert disaster!" The man, who was in full drama queen mode it seemed, threw his arms into the air in a very dramatic gesture. "Feel free to use our humble phone for as long as you wish, my fair maiden! I hope my attempts to stall you unknowingly have not done any harm!"

After that the man quickly left the room, soon followed by Mine, leaving Kara alone for the first time in several minutes. Now she could finally find out whether or not she would be heading home to the warmth of her bed or back into the cold night. She hoped more than anything it wouldn't be the latter. Kara was absolutley sick of the rain and wanted to stay dry.

Her hopes were dashed when Hime answered the phone, only to tell Kara that Nane had yet to return home and still no one could seem to find her. It was as if God was laughing at the lot of them. The thought of such a thing made Kara want to do a few things to show Him her displeasure. But with her luck that meant she would never find Nane, especially with a pissed off higher power controlling the game. That meant there was only one other thing to do, go back out into the rain and cold, and continue to search until the youngster was found.

Kara made her way out of the back, stopping only long enough to thank Master, she still didn't know his name, and Kuramae-san for their help and hospitality. Mine tried to convince Kara to stay and dry off, voicing her worry over the teenager catching a cold. But Kara would have none of that. So, after a few more minutes of arguing with Mine until she relented and saying goodbye, Kara was off.

And just as she moved to walk through the doors, they opened to reveal a body moving quickly out of the rain..........and directly into Kara's front.

The force of impact hurled Kara to the ground, filling her with a sense of deja vu. However, this time the teenager didn't yell at the person she had run into. Instead, she quickly got up, bowed in apology, and ran out the door. The fact that Nane was still missing filled Kara's mind. And as before when she had started her mission, Kara focused her energy on finding the child. It was all she could do now.

* * *

Hatori Sohma was rarely ever speechless. However, today was one of those rare instances. As he entered Ayame's shop, completely focused on getting out of the rain, he had managed to run into a woman. And he had not transformed. It boggled his mind. How was such a thing possible? The curse could not have been lifted, it was just not possible. He glanced up at the other two people in the room.

Ayame, who was also rarely ever speechless since he usually caused others to be so, stood in shock, the emotion clearly visible on his face. The young woman next to him, Kuramae-san he recalled, had a similar expression. Did she know of the curse that possessed the Sohma family then? Perhaps. But at the moment Hatori didn't particularily care. He was more concerned with the woman who had just left the shop in a great hurry. Who was she?

Hatori then remembered something Shigure had told him not too long ago. Apparently about a month ago Shigure had run into, literally, a woman who did not cause him to transform into his zodiac form. Perhaps the woman Hatori had just met was the same one Shigure had told him of. He needed to make sure. Before her hasty exit, the doctor had managed to take in a few details about her appearance. She was a bit taller than most women, probably about 5' 7'' or so. Her hair had been a shade of light orange styled in a longer cut. And she had at a glance appeared to be younger, somewhere in her late teens perhaps.

He needed to compare this woman to Shigure's right away, and find out whether or not there were possibly two peole walking around the city who could not cause the male zodiac members to transform. If so, and Akito managed to find out, there would be trouble. There would still be trouble even if there was only one person.

Hatori looked toward Ayame again, who seemed to finally be regaining his composure. "I need to go see Shigure. Sorry Aaya-san, but we'll need to reschedule."

And with that the dragon made his way back into the rain and to his running vehicle. He headed straight to Shigure's house. No matter what happened he needed to get a better idea of what they were dealing with. Because if a person existed in the world who was not effected by the curse, did that mean they stood a chance at breaking it? If it did Hatori knew this woman would have to be protected. After all, Akito would make sure to have anyone who could tear apart his precious zodiac disappear. Hatori had to make sure that did not happen to some innocent. He would not let anyone else suffer, not like Kana had. He would never be able to live with himself if that happened.

****************

She needed help.

There was no way she was ever going to find Nane at this rate. The city was just too large. Even if she managed to cover every inch of the place Nane could still move around. At this very moment the child could be in a place Kara had looked at already. The thought caused Kara to grow even more frusturated.

_I need help. But there isn't anyone who can. _She kneeled to the ground, exhaustion and fatigue setting in. _What am I going to do? I have to find her! _

It was then a memory triggered in Kara's brain, bringing back to her the warmth and brightness of a day in mid-March. _I thought you might like to have someone to call in case you need any help. _Shigure had smiled at her, placing his number into her hand.

Hope surged through her, giving Kara the energy she needed to get up. She pushed off the ground, looking around until she spotted at last a phone booth. She ran toward it, only stopping long enough to open the door and dig in her pocket for the piece of paper she knew was in there. It was soaking wet, but after a few minutes of looking it over, Kara found herself dialing the number.

_Please answer. Please answer_. For one of the few times in her life, Kara sent up a pray. She may not be religious but she did believe in fate. And at the moment, she really hoped it wasn't going to play some sick game with her. She had had enough of those. Thankfully, her prays were answered on the fourth ring. Maybe, just maybe, she would be able to finally end this horrible night.

A/N: I was going to make this longer but I think this spot works for a cut off. So, hope you all enjoyed the long overdue chapter. Please let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Stop the presses! Can it be true? I'm updating within a week? (Cue the Halieluha Chorus). Hi everybody! Since you all loved me so much by reading and reviewing _An Unexpected Love _and I wanted to keep going with the chapter and had time on my hands, well folks the answer to all of this was another update :) Many of you should be very happy.

I want to thank, as always, those of you who reviewed and quickly too. They made me very happy! And to those of you who favorited this story or put it on their alert, a heart felt thanks as well.

Now, not much of an author's note today so go ahead and have fun reading!

**Disclaimer: As before I own nothing except for Kara Williams and any other OCs used in later chapters. **

* * *

Shigure absently heard the phone ringing in the hall, waiting for someone else in the house to pick it up. Eventually, the sound of Yuki speaking to the caller drifted through his office door. He would have answered himself, but at the moment his attention was busy. Hatori had dropped by unexpectedly and was now informing Shigure of his non-transformation after running into a woman. Funny thing was Hatori had just described the woman in good enough detail to leave no doubt in Shigure's mind it was his young American friend.

_Good to know she's still in Japan......and alive no less. _After thinking over their first encounter some more, Shigure had later wondered if a girl like Kara could actually make it on her own. She had seemed a little oblivious to details at times and forgot about things very easily. A little like Tohru in that comparision brought a hint of a smile to his face.

At this point in the conversation Hatori was waiting for Shigure to respond. Unknown to a stranger, it was very obvious the young doctor was on edge. "So tell me Shigure-san, do you think it's the same woman?"

The writer let out a sigh. "To be quite honest, I'd have to say yes Haa-san." Shigure leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. "But I have to wonder why it is you ran into her. Do you think this is fate's way of telling us she plays a part? Perhaps it is Kara-san who will free us instead of Tohru-kun."

Hatori looked up sharply. "Don't you dare bring another person into this scheme of yours Shigure. As far as anyone needs to know beyond this room, Williams-san is a girl you happened to meet and is no one of consequence." When Shigure made to say something he added, "And there is no reason you should ever see her again."

Annoyed, Shigure shrugged his shoulders. "Of course. But as I said before Haa-san," he leaned forward, a dark look passing over his features, "What if this is _fate_? What am I to do then? Let such a wonderful opportunity slip away?" He smirked at the doctor. "No. And there is nothing you can do about that. After all, if you're so worried about the girl's safety you certainly won't go to Akito-san."

Hatori sat in silence, contemplating while glaring across the desk. "You would honestly use this girl for your own ends, no matter what it would do to her?" There was no reply. "I actually thought you liked the girl. I guess I was wrong. But even your use of Honda-san I object to Shigure. You can't keep twisting peoples lives to your own sick games. Eventually, they will get hurt. Or better yet, **you** will so perhaps you can learn something useful for once."

Shigure chuckled. "I'm sure I'll get a punch thrown my way one of these days. But if the curse is broken at the end of it all, it'll be worth it." He chuckled again, a slightly pained expression crossing his features. "Though I don't suppose you'd be willing to help me out a little if I need it Haa-san?" Shigure's question was met by silence. "I thought not."

At that moment the door to Shigure's office slid to the side, revealing Yuki with a slightly concerned expression gracing his feminine face. "Shigure-san, there's someone on the phone for you."

Shigure waved his hand at his younger cousin. "If it's Mii-chan tell her I'm not here. Better yet, tell her I'm on a long journey of enlightenment and will not be back for several weeks." He laughed to himself, wishing he could listen to her reaction and hoping it would bring him some satisfaction this time.

Yuki glared at Shigure, his dislike of the dog's treatment to his editor apparent. "Actually no, it's not. It is a woman though, and she said her name was Kara Williams-san. She told me it was urgent."

Surprise was evident on Shigure's face. He had begun to think Kara would never use his number and call him. But Yuki said it was urgent. So, that made this call not a social one. Kara was only taking him up on his offer of help if she needed it. _Oh well, so much for that hope_. "I'll be right there."

"Shigure-san, about what we discussed...." Hatori's words were cut off as Shigure swept past him, entering the hall and heading straight for the phone.

After a second of hesitation, he picked it up. "Hello, this is Shigure." The sound of rain falling hard filled the other end of the phone. "Is anyone there?"

Another moment passed before he finally heard her voice. It sounded even better than what Shigure remembered.

"I don't really know why I'm calling you or what you can possibly do to help." Kara paused, taking a breath. "But honestly, I really need your help Shigure-san, because you're the only person I know at this point who might be able to." There was more heavy breathing.

"What is it you think I can help you with, Kara-san?" Shigure couldn't help the slight curve of his lips, his mind wandering back to that sunny day in mid-March when she had been sprawled on top of him. "And are you feeling all right? You don't sound too good."

He could hear a faint chuckle coming through. "I'm fine. What I need is for you to help me find someone." A moment of silence passed, the only sound Kara's breathing and the heavy rain. "I need to know if you've seen a little girl wandering around. If you haven't, I was hoping maybe you could take a look around your property or something like that, and let me know."

Shigure glanced down the hallway toward his dining/living room. He could make out the shape of Tohru and the small child with her, Nane. "Well, I'd be happy to help you Kara-san, but that all depends on one thing."

Kara held her breath. "And what's that?"

"Does this little kid's name happen to be Nane?" There was no answer. Shigure wondered if their connection had been dropped or if maybe something had happened to Kara.

Then, she said just four words, the same as Shigure a few minutes ago."I'll be right there."

The line went dead.

* * *

She ran as if the devil himself were chasing her. After over six hours of searching she had finally, finally found Nane. The little girl was safe and out of harm's way. Now, all Kara had to do was make it to Shigure's and see the kid for herself. Then, once she was with Nane again, let Hime know the girl was fine.

It didn't take long for Kara to arrive at Shigure's front door. Even though she had only been their once, and come through the woods no less, she had found the house with ease. It was as if there was something pulling her toward it. Kara logged in that thought for later examination when she had the time.

She knocked on the door, waiting impatiently for someone to answer. However, within moments it slid open, revealing the man who's image had made more than one cameo appearance in Kara's dreams. _Seriously, do __**not**__ think about that right now. _

His face lit up with a small smile, the same way it had a month ago. "Glad to see you didn't get lost. After all, this time you didn't have your dogs to guide you." He moved to the side, allowing Kara to enter and get out of the rain. She did so gladly.

The warmth of the house seeped into Kara's body, warming her bones and causing her to shiver. Suddenly, a slight weight was placed on her shoulders, which to Kara's surprise turned out to be a green-colored blanket. She turned toward Shigure, but he was already moving passed her and heading into the hall. Kara quickly took off her shoes and followed. However, it was a bit difficult to do as her vision was starting to go hazy. The pressure and dizziness in Kara's head was not feeling too good either. Her body just needed to hold out for a few more minutes, that was all. Once she saw Nane with her own eyes and told Hime her daughter was safe, Kara could finally collapse on the nearest available section of space and rest. _Oh thank fucking God_.

Shigure stopped outside of a door not too far down the hallway and looked back at Kara. "Nane-chan should be in here. A member of my household has been keeping an eye on her while I was deciding how best to figure out where she belonged." He pushed the door aside and entered, leaving Kara to follow him once again. "Tohru-kun, we have a guest. She's here to see Nane-chan."

When Kara entered the room she found a young woman her age with brown hair and big blue eyes kneeling on the floor. Resting her head on the young woman's lap was Nane, fast asleep in a dream. The child's short light brown hair fell across her forehead in whisps, giving the four-year-old an even more angelic appearance than she already possessed. And as far as Kara could see she was fine.

The weight that had been pressing down on Kara's shoulders the last six or so hours finally lifted. Nane was safe, dry from the rain, and sleeping peacefully. If she hadn't been so exhausted, Kara was sure she would have been doing a happy jig in the middle of the room. _Maybe now I can get some shut eye. Oh wait, Hime-san. I've got to call Hime-san. _

Kara backed out of the room quietly and motioned for Shigure to follow her. He did after a moment, and stopped in front of her once they were in the hall.

"Thank you so much for looking after her. I don't care how she managed to find this place, I'm just so grateful that she did."

Again, Shigure gave her that small smile of his. His face never seemed to be without it when she saw him. "I'm glad I could be of service." He moved closer to her, invading Kara's already fogged senses with his prescence. "Are you sure you're all right though? To be honest Kara-san, you're looking a bit pale."

Kara sighed mentally, wishing people would stop asking that. "I'm fine. I just need to use your phone quick to let Nane-chan's mom know she's okay. I don't want Hime-san to be worrying all night over this." The feel of his body this close to her began to remind Kara of the day they had met. His body underneath her as she stradled him.

_Breaks! Breaks on the brain, NOW!_ Her thoughts were starting to make her already warm head even hotter. _I'm barely coordinated as it is. I do not need this right now. _She needed to make it to the phone, which Shigure was showing her to at the moment, and call Hime. The older woman needed to know Nane was safe. _Yes, gotta let Hime-san know. She needs to know that Nane is....is...._

The world suddenly lost all semblance of balance as Kara slowly lost her vision and sense of reality. Suddenly, she felt herself falling to the ground, her mind blanking out as darkness took over. The last thing she heard before losing consciousness was Shigure yelling her name.

* * *

A/N: There you are folks! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I left you hungry for more (insert evil laugh here). Now, please be so kind as to review and you will make my day a happy one. Thanks, luvs!


	6. Chapter 6

A.N: Hello luvs! I missed you guys :)

As always, I want to thank everyone who reviewed. They mean so much to me every time I get one. I send love to you all! And to those who favorited and placed this story on their alerts, a big thanks as well.

I want to apologize in advance for any confusion over the timing of this next chapter. Technically, it takes place over a few days. I will explain this more in the next chapter. Also, we have one more really heavy chapter here before things start to get humorous again. This chapter is fairly emo and will probably be responsible for a rate change very soon. I want to know what you guys think. Please let me know. Again, sorry for the angst!

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I still do not own Fruits Basket. The series belongs to Natsuki Takaya. However, I do own Kara Williams and all other OCs used in later chapters. **

* * *

Chapter Six

Shigure struggled to get a hold on Kara's limp body. He'd barely had any time to react after looking over his shoulder to see the teenager collapsing. SHigure had yelled at her, lunging. Thankfully, ha had managed to keep Kara's head from hitting the floor.

"Shigure-san, what's wrong? Wh-what happened?!" Tohru appeared out of the other room, her face going white with shock at the scene in front of her.

"Tohru-kun, go get Haa-san. He's needed." Shigure lifted Kara in his arms, heading for the stairs to the upper level of the house. "Tell him to meet me upstairs. I have a patient for him."

Tohru stared after shigure. However, after a moment she snapped out of her daze and leaped into action, shouting up the stairs, "Please, put her in my room Shigure-san! It's the most comfortable."

The black-haired man turned back slightly, seeing the look of pure concern on the blue-eyed teenager's face. His expression softened into a small smile. "Thank you Tohru-kun. I'm sure Kara-san will appreciate it."

She returned the smile, then ran off in the direction of Shigure's office where the form of Hatori was slowly emerging from.

Shigure continued his assent upward, stopping only to pry open the door to Tohru's room with his foot. There, he gently placed Kara on the bed. She was breathing rather hard and felt feverish. That worried him. _How long was she out in that rain? Her clothes are soaking wet! _

The Dog had no idea what to do at this point except to get Kara dry, which would mean undressing Kara. The thought was rather tantilizing but Shigure was sure if the young woman ever found out, she would personally unman him. It seemed he was going to have to call Tohru back for this.

At that moment Hatori entered the room, his face inscrutable. He took in the scene before him, moving forward and passed Shigure, until the doctor was sitting on the bed and examining Kara. Other than looking at Shigure upon entering the room Hatori ignored him. Shigure made for the door.

"I'll ask Tohru-kun to come up and change her into something dry." The Dragon continued to ignore him as Shigure exited the room. It seemed his friend was still angry over his refusal to leave Kara alone.

Shigure sighed. There was no way he could let such an opportunity slip by. If Kara was the key to breaking the curse he would use her, the consequences be damned. And if Kara hated him in the end, Shigure would endure it. Her hatred was nothing compared to not being able to live with his beloved. To Shigure, that would be Hell.

* * *

She was in Hell. That was the only answer that could explain what Kara was experiencing. After all, this place belonged in Purgatory, not to mention the people which inhabited it.

She foudn herself in her very first home, living with the couple Kara had once thought of as her parents. They were arguing right now, screaming at each other. Kara covered her ears, hands clutching her head as tight as she could. Even after all these years she never forgot the noise of their yelling. It simply remained a part of her.

Suddenly, a man burst into the room, her old room upstairs. He was fuming, a murderous gleam in his eyes. Kara shrank back. Her body was now that of a child, roughly the age of five. She could feel the tears coming, the pain that would accompany them imminent. There was nothing she could do. Screaming for help was useless. That _woman_ downstairs would never defend her, and no one else ever would. It is what _he_ taught her.

He moved, grabbing Kara by the hair and dragging her to the floor. She screamed anyway, begging the man she had thought of as Daddy to stop. Why was he hurting her? What had she done wrong? Her young mind could not understand what was going on.

The sound of his belt being drawn caught Kara's attention. She began to struggle, knowing what that sound meant. She didn't want to hurt. She didn't to feel pain. He slapped the child into submission. Kara lay on the floor, whimpering.

And when the first sting of leather hit her hide, the tears sprang from Kara's crystal blue eyes. She wailed as the torture continued, waiting for the pain to end. But it never did. It just kept coming. After all, she was in Hell. _Someone save me. Please! _

* * *

Tohru had just finished changing Williams-san into dry clothes when the screaming began. The noise startled her so much the bowl Tohru had held slipped from her fingers, crashing to the floor and shattering. The brown-haired girl rushed to the bed, trying to figure out what was wrong. Then, the unconscious woman before her started to thrash.

Williams-san's movements frightened Tohru. She feared the young woman would hurt herself. Tohru ran for the door, pulling it open as quickly as she could. "Hatori-san! Come quick, please!"

Within seconds the doctor was rushing into the room, Shigure on his heels. Not long after, Yuki and Kyo came to see what all the noise was about. "What happened Honda-san?" Hatori asked as he attempted to inspect Kara, whose movements were steadily growing violent. "Shigure-san, grab her legs! She might injure herself."

Shigure took hold of Kara's lower half, exerting nearly all his strength. The girl was rather strong for her size. _What is it Kara? Why are you acting like this? _

He looked to Hatori. At the moment, the doctor was struggling as much as himself in restraining the teenager. Kara's screaming grew louder. More desperate, fearful. "What's wrong with her Haa-san?!"

"I don't know! And I don't have anything I could use to calm her down." Hatori repositioned his grip, taking a firmer hold of Kara's upper body.

The young doctor's face betrayed his emotions for once; something Shigure was unused to seeing. It took a lot for Hatori to lose control, especially over his emotions. That meant Kara's reaction had him worried. This did not reassure Shigure in the least. Though he may be planning to use the teenager, Shigure was still fond of her. Besides, Kara's visuals always managed to bring wonderful thoughts into his head, not that he was going to share that bit of information with anyone. The thrashing and screaming continued, but for how long, Shigure did not know.

Suddenly, Kara released an ear-splitting scream. Then, she went limp, her body falling back onto the bed. Her breahting labored, Kara appeared to have calmed down. Now if only Shigure's pulse would stop racing.

The phone rang, breaking the silence that filled the room. Yuki left quietly. He had seen enough. There was no reason for him to stay. Yuki reached the phone just before the fourth ring, quickly picking up the receiver. Hopefully, there would be no more surprises tonight.

* * *

She was lying on the floor in a sea of red. It was blood. _Her _blood. And it was Kara's fault. That is what _he _had said.

_"You're a stupid, worthless piece of shit. You deserve this. That's why nobody wanted you. That's why they gave you up." _

He was still there, hovering over her in the pool of crimson he had created. He continued to repeat to her the words he always said. Soon, Kara would begin to think they were true as she had before. Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't they go back to being a family? What had she done wrong?!

_"Did you kill her? Oh God, I swear if you killed her I am not cleaning up that mess." _

That woman was here now. She always had to open her mouth and say something stupid. Now they would start arguing again as Kara lay bleeding from her wounds. _Why? Why?! _

_"Shut your goddamn mouth woman! If I hear another word from you I'll do it myself. And I didn't kill her. I just reminded her of who she is, whatshe is. Now, go get some rags before the blood soaks into the floor. We can't have that now, can we?" _

The woman sighed, choosing to listen instead of fight with her husband for once. _"Fine. Just make sure you move her before I start cleaning. Her lying there always gets in the way." _

He laughed at his wife's remark. Kara could feel the hatred begin to burn inside her as it had in later years. This man and woman, they could laugh and joke about what he had done to her. How dare they! But there was nothing she could do.

So, as the woman gathered her supplies for cleaning up the mess her husband had made in the bedroom upstairs, the man lifted Kara roughly from the floor. He would not drag her this time, no, that would make too big a mess.

He brought her into the bathroom, where he proceeded to turn on the shower. After a few moments, he dumped Kara into the tub. The water that sprayed against her body gave Kara a new agony. And not only was the water painful on her injuries, it was scalding hot. She screamed, trying to get away from the powerful spray. The man just grabbed her and threw Kara back under. Reluctantly, she cleaned herself as best as she could, all the while the man watched her.

His gaze never wavered and Kara hated him even more. What kind of sick bastard watched a small child bathe as if he were being enticed by some whore? Was he getting ready to jack off?

_You son of a bitch. If only I had been bigger, stronger, I would have made you pay. I would have killed you. _

Her thoughts of hatred did nothing to dissipate the nightmare Kara was in. She remained trapped in the horror of her early childhood, experiencing all of the pain anew. _Help me! Someone please, just get me out of here before I go insane! _

No one answered Kara's plea. And so, the nightmare continued.

* * *

Shigure sat on one side of the table in the dining/living room, along with Hatori. The figures that sat across from the two men were Nane's parents. They had introduced themselves as Kaoru and Hime Nagasaki. Apparently, Kara had hurriedly informed Hime of where she was headed just before coming to Shigure's house. When Kara had failed to contact Hime in order to let her know whether or not she had found Nane, the young mother had grown worried. Using the number the American teenager had given them, the Nagasakis had contacted Shigure and arranged to meet, as well as retrieve their daughter.

"Thank you so much for looking after Nane-chan, Sohma-san. I don't know how we can repay you." Kaoru bowed his head to Shigure. The father was barely older than Shigure, yet he bowed his head to the Dog.

Shigure waved his hand in front of himself. "Don't worry about it. I'm simply glad I could help you recover your daughter safely." He smiled at both parents. "She really is an adorable little thing."

Hime smiled in kind. "Yes, we are grateful to have her." The woman looked down to her lap at the young child who rested there. Not long after the commotion with Kara had started, Nane had awoken, begging all of them to make the teenager wake up. Her young mind could not take in what was happening to the girl she obviously considered her Nee-chan. Tohru had done the best she could to keep the child calm until her parents arrived. Soon after, Nane fell into a peaceful slumber curled up in her mother's lap.

"Has her condition improved at all Sohma-sensei? Will Kara-chan be alright?" Hime looked to Hatori, her question directed at him.

The doctor sighed, bringing his gaze to the woman who sat across from him. He answered her truthfully. "Williams-san appears to slowly be making a recovery. However, her fever is still rather high and she is experiencing some sort of dream in which she refuses to wake up from. It could be a few more days before she is completely healed." Hatori went on. "Also, when I was examining Williams-san earlier it looked as if she had begun to show the signs of illness before spending hours in a down pour. Considering this, it is no surprise the girl is in the condition she is now."

Hime paled while Kaoru swore under his breath. "Kaoru-kun, you don't think Kara-chan caught your...."

The young man sighed, looking to his wife with guilt on his face. "It would appear she did Hime-chan." Kaoru turned his attention back to the doctor."You see Sohma-sensei, I had just recovered from a severe cold that managed to send me to the hospital. Kara-chan spent a great deal of time helping my watch the children and such during this period. Your theory would make sense then I suppose." He rubbed his temples, Kaoru's head throbbing from the stress of the last thirty-two hours. Kaoru and his wife had been convinced by Shigure and Hatori to come in the morning for Nane instead of directly after their conversation on the phone. They had arrived just an hour ago.

Shigure decided to speak up for the first time in a while. "I'm sorry to ask this at such a time Nagasaki-san, but my cousin and I were wondering if you could tell us anything about Kara-san." Kaoru looked to him in shock, suspicion creeping into his features. Hime began to have a similar expression on her face. Shigure continued anyway. "Thnik of it as settling your debt with me for keeping Nane-chan safe and taking care of Kara-san."

An internal debate was obviously going on inside of Kaoru as he decided whether or not to answer Shigure. Finally, the young man sighed, his decision made. "We have only known Kara-chan for a short time, but we will answer you as truthfully as possible. What is it you wish to know Sohma-san?"

Hatori spoke first. "Exactly when did Williams-san arrive in Japan?"

Kaoru was silent for a moment. "She moved into our apartment complex in the beginning of March. Other than that I do not knw how long she has been here. According to Kara-chan, she moved recently from America in order to attend an elite academy in Japan."

"Do you know which academy?"

"Unfortunately no. I've asked Kara-chan the same question a few times myself, but she would never tell. She insisted we had to wait until some time in May before we could know. I have no idea why." His eyes grew distant as Kaoru pondered something from the past in his mind.

"Do you know where in America she came from?" This time it was Shigure who asked.

"I believe Kara-chan said she grew up in southern California." Hime answered for her husband. "She has told me numerous stories of her life there, though our children always seem to enjoy the ones where Kara-chan would get in trouble." A small smile crept onto the woman's face, the memory of one of those said stories playing in her mind.

Shigure smiled as well, his imagination creating scenes of a younger Kara running down the streets with a group of rascals and wrecking havoc on the neighbors. He just barely managed to supress a chuckle. Shigure could tell his humor would not be appreciated at the moment. "So, her family must still be in California then. I'm sure they miss her."

A somber look passed over Hime's face. "No. I'm afraid Kara-chan has no family to speak of back in America anymore. A few months before coming to Japan her mother passed away unexpectedly." Hime sat in silence for a moment. "She doesn't talk about it, but it's obvious Kara-chan is still grieving.

Kaoru placed his hand on his wife's shoulder, offering her some comfort. HIme's eyes met his, her face showing she appreciated the gesture. She gave a wobbly smile.

"If you don't mind my asking," Hatori began after being in thought for some time,"But what happened to Williams-san's father?"

It was Kaoru who answered this time. "She never mentions him. We know nothing of that matter and I feel at this point any other questions you would have should be answered by Kara-chan herself." The look on the young man's face showed he would not budge.

It didn't matter. Kaoru and Hime had given them something to start with. It wasn't much but with the information Shigure and Hatori now had, they could possibly begin to unravel the mystery surrounding Kara and the curse.

"That's quite alright Nagasaki-san. You have paid back your debt more than enough and I appreciate it, as does my cousin." Shigure stood and moved away from the table. "Furthermore, you are more than welcome to stay for a while if you wish to visit Kara-san. Believe me, she'll be in good hands here. And I'm sure Tohru-kun is just starting to make lunch so there should be food soon." The Dog looked toward his cousin as he ignored Kaoru's protests. "I'll be in my office if you need me."

Shigure left the room and headed down the hall, where he soon found his desk and sat down. Once he was settled he let out a heavy sigh. Yestersay night and today had proved to be a little too exciting for him. Shigure just wasn't use to this.

During the night, Kara had managed to go into another fit of screaming for about an hour. Thankfully, she proceeded to make it through the rest peacefully enough. However, it was obvious wherever the girl's dreams had taken her it was not a good place. He wondered what demons were haunting the teenager so profoundly. Surprised by his thoughts, Shigure shook himself. He could not afford to become emotionally attached to Kara. Shigure needed her in order to free himself and the rest of the Zodiac. Being fond of Kara already wouldn't help matters but Shigure was fond of Tohru, so he could deal with what would come.

The black-haired man turned his attention to the half-finished manuscript on his desk. He needed to finish it before the end of the week. Shigure spent the next few hours attempting to write the other half, but found his thoughts drifting toward the teenager lying unconscious upstairs. _Why won't you wake up Kara? What's holding you back? _

Shigure's thoughts remained unanswered. After all, the only one who could was lying in Tohru's bed upstairs fighting off a fever. _Wonderfu_l. 

* * *

She was in a garden.

Kara looked around, trying to figure out what had happened. Last thing she remembered seeing was that man coming to take her from the tub. She had squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block him out. But instead of feeling the repulsive sensation of his arms around her, Kara noticed what felt like grass beneath her feet. She'd opened her eyes, only to find she was in an ancient garden one might find in the castle grounds of Europe. Kara's head filled with confusion. How had she come here? She had no more of this place.

Having nothing better to do, Kara began to wander the paths the garden offered. They wound endlessly, taking her to the many parts of the grounds. Roses, lilies, petunias, carnations, and many more flowers and plants greeted her sight. Kara did not know how long she wandered. Time seemed to pass differently here. Slowly, the ache of hatred and rage that filled her chest began to fade. Soon, Kara felt at peace once more.

_It's almost like you're here with me again Mom. You always managed to make me feel like this whenever I dreamed of that place. _Kara could feel a smile tugging at her lips.

_"Of course it feels like I'm here with you, dumbass. Where else would I be when my baby's hurting?" _

Kara whipped around, not believing she'd heard correctly. However, her eyes were not disappointed. Standing not twenty feet away was a woman Kara had thought she would never see again. _Mom_.

Her mouth hanging slightly open, Kara struggled to find her voice. _"Mom?" _She had to take a few deep breaths before continuing. _"Mom, is that really you?" _

The woman smiled kindly, walking forward and approaching Kara. The teenager couldn't move, simply too entranced by the older woman. As she stopped in front of Kara the woman she called Mom stood still. Then, she smacked Kara in the left arm. Hard. _"Of course it's me, idiot. What are you blind? Or did you happen to forget what your own mother looks like?" _She crossed her arms, looking annoyed that Kara would possibly forget her face.

Kara was simply stunned. Only one person she knew would ever hit or talk to her in such a manner that the teenager could tell it was done with affection. She just couldn't believe it. Her mom was here. Terrace. Terrace, who had died not six months earlier, was here in Kara's dream. For some reason Kara found she was more annoyed rather than happy.

_"And since you're my mother you feel like you have the right to barge in on my dreams, huh?" _Kara's eyes narrowed. _"Why are you here anyway?"_

Pain flashed across Terrace's face. Her eyes grew clouded. _"Because you were crying out for me, sweetie. I had to save you from that nightmare, just like I did back then." _Terrace's gaze bore into Kara. _"I refuse to let those bastards hurt you again. Even if they only come for you in dreams, I won't let them Kara." _She turned away, her eyes showing more emotion than Terrace wished to reveal at the moment.

Kara knew what Terrace was referring to. A few weeks after starting Kindergarten, the year Kara's nightmare began, Terrace, at the time a teacher's aid, figured out what was happening at the child's home. She had asked the police to check it out. They'd arrived in time to stop another beating, which at that point had become an afterschool ritual. The State placed Kara in foster care but she did not stay long. Terrace petitoned to gain the rights to adopt her. After a couple of months, the then twenty-five-year-old was made her legal guardian and became Kara's new family. That is, until her death last October.

_"I don't deserve to have you save me anymore Terrace. If it weren't for me you'd still be alive. You wouldn't have had to die." _Kara could feel the beginning of tears pricking her eyes. Using her forearm, she brushed them away.

Terrace sighed, shaking her head at her adopted daughter. This wasn't the first time such a stupid notion had come into the girl's head, but Terrace had begun to think Kara had accepted the circujmstances of her death. Apparently, Terrace had been wrong.

_"You're still blaming yourself? Why? It's not like you could have stopped some trigger-happy kid from putting a bullet through my head. That was my fault, not yours." _When Kara looked as if she was going to argue, Terrace kept going. _"You can't blame yourself for everything Kara. It's not always your fault." _

Kara turned her body away from her mother. How could she say it wasn't her fault? Of course it was. She should have been there, should have been able to stop. She should have been able to save Terrace for once. And Kara couldn't. She'd failed and wound up losing the only mother she'd ever had. It was her lot in life, to lose everything.

_"Oh don't be going all emo on me." _Marching up to her daughter, Terrace spun the girl around. _"I can't believe you honestly still believe what that asshole used to tell you. You are not responsible for what happens to everyone Kara. You are your own person, who will make mistakes and make the right choices. Yes, some people might be affected by those choices, but whatever happens to them is not your fault. Please, get that through your thick head!"_

Kara's expression showed she didn't believe it. Terrace let out an exasperated breath. Yes, her daughter was stubborn, too stubborn for her own good. No matter what Terrace said at this point she knew Kara wouldn't listen, one of the finer qualities her child had somehow managed to inherit from her. She would let the matter drop. FOr now. _"So, have you found them yet?" _

The teenager was looking off into the rose bushes that surrounded them now. _"I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. There's just so little to go off of. All I know is that they're here somewhere and I have to find them."_ Kara brought her attention back to Terrace, her eyes asking for the help she would never ask for aloud. She had too much pride to go with her stubbornness. It was the reason the girl often got into trouble.

"I know you'll find them, sweetie. Besides, I think you already have. You just don't know it yet." Kara's eyes widened in surprise. _"Don't worry, they don't know either. Most of them are not even aware you exist. But they will soon enough. And then, you can find him." _

_"But how will I know? How can they accept me after all these years?" _

Terrace scowled. _"What makes you think they need to accept you? They're the ones who gave you up and they're the ones who'll need to gain your acceptance."_ She winked at the younger woman. _"And if you can't? Well, at least you will know you tried." _

_"And if I do? If I can accept them and the life they denied me?" _The teenager looked away, her feelings warring inside her. _"What do I do? What am I suppose to do Terrace?" _

There was silence as her mother gazed at Kara. _"That's simple. Live. Whether or not you accept your birth family all depends on what your heart tells you. But no matter what you decide Kara, you have to live a full life. Don't hold anything back, just live. Live........and love. __**Never **__forget to love." _

Suddenly, the world began to fade, white overtaking the beauty of the garden. A sad look came over Terrace's face. _"Looks like our time's up."_ She grabbed Kara around the shoulders, pulling her into a fierce hug. Moisture fell onto the younger woman's face, telling Kara how deeply their parting hurt her mother. She began to feel her own tears coming, sliding down her cheeks silently.

_"Don't forget what I just told you, Kara. You cannot forget." _Terrace pulled back, staring straight into her daughter's crystal blue eyes with her brown ones. _"No matter what happens in the future you mustn't blame yourself. And let your heart tell you what is right. It will prove correct, whatever you decide."_ She was fading quickly. _"I love you." _

The older woman soon faded from Kara's sight. But before Kara had time to react, she could feel her body beginning to wake up. There was nothing she could do.

As consciousness began to fill Kara's mind, she heard Terrace's final words. _"And I better be getting some grandchildren in the future, young lady. I need something to spoil, even in the afterlife."_ Despite herself, Kara laughed. Leave it to Terrace to end an emotional goodbye with something so random. It was one of the things she loved, and missed, about her mother.

* * *

Bright sunshine greeted Kara as her eyes slowly opened. She looked around after her crystal blue orbs had managed to adjust to the harsh light. Apparently, she was lying in a rather fluffy bed, in clothes that appeared to belong to a man and in a room she had never seen. Perhaps she was still dreaming after all.

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it folks. Again, sorry for all the angst. The next chapter will have humor in it again, I swear! Also, please let me know if you think I should bump the rating up yet or not. I want your opinion, as a reader. On a final note, please review and make me very happy!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: Hey guys! So so so so so so sooooo sorry about the really long wait for an update T_T I have been so busy with things lately I have barely had any time for really sleeping. That might explain why I have been sick for the past near month :(

Anyway, I am grateful to everyone who reviewed and favorited this story or placed it on alert. Those messages always make me so happy :) I love you guys and am so grateful you are hanging in with me as I take forever in getting updates done.

So, without further ado I ask you read the chapter below and enjoy! I hope it was worth the wait :)

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the character Kara Williams and any other OCs used throughout this story.**

Chapter 7 

She was an idiot. Plain and simple.

Grasping the wall and trying very hard not to fall flat on her face, Kara made her way downstairs to what she could only assume was the first level of Shigure's house, all the while feeling on the verge of passing out. She wanted to know why she was still here, not to mention whose clothes she was currently wearing. The shorts were a bit snug on the hips, considering they were of a loose workout fabric and the shirt looked as if it would be stretched out once she took it off.

_Damn who ever's genetics gave me huge tits. I hate them! They're always getting in the way. _Her foot caught, bringing Kara's attention back to the present and her task at hand. She needed to get downstairs to make sure Nane was alright for starters. Then, she needed to call her school to make sure they didn't think she was dead. Considering there was absolutely no sign of the heavy rain earlier, Kara could only assume at least a day or two had passed since she had been unconsciousness. If the school wasn't made aware of the fact she was just home sick, she would likely either be suspended or possibly expelled.

And going back to the States was not an option at the moment. She needed to find them, her birth family. It wasn't because the only bit of family she had ever really known was gone. She just wanted to know why. Why did they give her up? The question had always gnawed at her. What were their reasons for giving up a newborn infant to an unknown couple an ocean away? She needed to know. Once she did, Kara would be free to move on with her life, would be free of any regrets for not knowing her true origins. Her talk with Terrace had reaffirmed her conviction and drive to find them. She had to do this. She had to.

Kara finally reached the first floor, having managed to not land on her face or pass out again. _Huzza for the small miracles. _Kara allowed herself a smile small, then couldn't help but chuckle. Suddenly, her stomach let out a very loud grumble, alerting the teenager to the fact she had not eaten anything since God only knew when. She grimaced. _I need to get something to eat, before I wind up blacking out on the floor due to low blood sugar instead of exhaustion. _

She looked around her, trying to remember where to go. Finding Shigure or anyone else who might possibly live in this house seemed like a good idea. However, there really only was the one hallway. Kara headed in that direction, moving as carefully as she could to reduce her chance of tripping on her own feet. The teenager had made very little progress when she was bombarded by an extremely loud proclamation through a screen door.

"I told you before, stop calling me that!"

The noise managed to startle her so much, Kara found her legs slipping from under her. Within seconds she was lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling and trying to get back her bearings. _What the hell was that? And why am I seeing stars all of a sudden? _

The yelling continued in the room beyond the screen. "I said stop!" The owner of the voice sounded extremely pissed. But would they bring the volume down a little? Kara's head felt as if it were going to explode. However, the loud conversation, if it could be called that, continued.

"It's been too long Shigure!"

_Wait, that voice sounds familiar. _Kara couldn't place where it came from in her memory, but she knew she had heard it before. Slowly, she climbed to her hands and knees, slowly pushing open the screen door. It revealed an interesting sight. Shigure and a man with nearly floor length silver hair stood facing each other, their eyes growing mystified while a cheesy rose background hung behind them. Then, they suddenly gave each other a thumbs up, shouting "Yes!"

Kara couldn't control the twitching of her right eyebrow, or the sweat drop that was currently hanging by her head. _What the hell is this?_

Recognition suddenly hit her. The man from the fabric shop who had allowed her to use his phone! She needed to thank him for that. At the moment Kara found she could not recall whether or not she already had, not to mention she had absolutely no idea what his name was. _Idiot. Probably should have learned that before running off_.

Deciding to let the others know she was in the room, Kara began to get up. However, she didn't make it very far. She managed to get to her feet, only to have a severe wave of nausea hit her like a brick wall. Kara fell back to the ground, creating a loud thump which drew the attention of the other occupants in the room. Then, before she could do anything, Kara found herself throwing up on the very pristine wood floor of Shigure's home. _Shit! _

Everyone stared, stunned to silence by this rather disgusting event. No one could seem to find the words to say anything. All the while, Kara gasped for air as her body shook from the motions of hurling up what little remained in her stomach. If there had been a dark hole in the floor, Kara would have jumped into it without a second thought. This was perhaps one of the most embarrassing moments in her entire life. It was even worse than the time Rob Peterson had thrown a bucket of paint on her during the homecoming pep rally during her freshman year, right after she had finished her already mortifying attempt to sing the national anthem. Yes, this was definitely worse.

And there was absolutely nothing she could do, except allow the convulsions to take over her body and hide her face. She couldn't even manage to form the words, "I'm sorry." Kara started listing off every swear word she could think of in her mind, wishing desperately she could express them in an attempt to make herself feel better. Not that it ever really worked.

Finally, someone said something. It was Shigure.

"My god, Kara-san. Are you alright?" He rushed to her side, helping her up from the puddle of her own puke. "What are you even doing up? Last time anyone checked, you still had a fever of 100°. You need to be in bed, resting."

He held her by the upper arms, gazing into her eyes. For a few moments, they were the only thing Kara could concentrate on. Then, she realized he was waiting for her to say something. After taking a couple shallow breathes, she found her voice.

"Sorry." It sounded weak, due to its lack of use. Hoarse, due to her recent choking on stomach acid. And the fact Shigure was looking at her with deep concern, Kara found her ability to speak even more difficult. _I sound like a thirteen year old with her first crush_.

Shigure's face softened, his lips forming a softer version of his usual smile. "It's alright. That can be cleaned up easily enough. But you need rest and something easy on your stomach I think. After all, you haven't eaten anything in about three days or so." He turned to one of the other people present in the room. "Tohru-kun, would you mind brewing some tea for Kara-san? Something that would help her rest."

"Oh, of course. I'd be happy to." There was a quick pause from the young woman's voice. "But wouldn't you like me to take care of the floor first? I mean, I don't think that it would be very good for the wood, but if you'd rather I make the tea instead that's..."

"Hold on Tohru. Not so fast." Shigure looked to someone farther in the room, someone Kara couldn't seem to concentrate her eyes on. Apparently she was also losing her ability to focus, or else seeing things altogether. "I believe Yuki-kun or Kyo-kun can clean up this little mess. Besides, I don't think we need to dirty your hands at all. This is a job for a man!"

Kara gritted her teeth at his exclamation, her head ringing harder than before. However, another voice made it ring even more, if that was possible.

"What the hell are you talking about? If it's a man's job why don't you do it yourself?" The owner of the voice came forward, revealing nothing to Kara's unfocused eyes except bright orange hair. _What kind of an idiot dyes his hair that color?_

Before Kara could try to tell the guy to stuff it as he continued his tirade, she heard a rather loud smack, quickly followed by another male voice saying, "Just shut up and clean it. You're giving her a headache, you stupid cat."

The guy who had gotten hit started yelling back, a little quieter this time, but Kara didn't hear much of anything as Shigure started to drag her from the room. She was grateful. If she had been able to, Kara would certainly have smacked the loudmouth in the face herself. After all, the pain in her head was rapidly building beyond the point of annoying.

"Let's get you to the bath. I think that might help, just a little." Kara tried to bring what remained of her focus to Shigure. It was useless. "And I honestly think a change of clothes is in order as well. Nane-chan's parents were kind enough to leave a bag of your things here. Perhaps we'll be able to find something comfortable in there for you, hm?"

His voice was very soothing. It was as if he were trying to lull her back into sleep. If that was Shigure's intention, he was doing a very good job of it. Kara found her body begin to relax, leaning heavily on Shigure, who was likely carrying the majority of her weight at the moment. Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind.

Soon, they arrived at their destination. Shigure guided Kara to the floor, where she sat leaning against the wall as he started the bath water. Kara closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the rushing water, concentrating on it in order to keep control over herself. It helped.

It seemed an eternity later when the girl called Tohru came in to give Kara the tea she had made. After a few sips, the teenager's stomach began to settle down.

"I'll leave her in your care then, Tohru. Just make sure she doesn't pass out." Shigure walked back to the door, his footsteps allowing Kara to visualize what was happening. "I'll bring some clothes down so Kara-san can change afterwards."

"Sure thing. Just leave everything to me." Tohru's voice was very chipper as she replied, causing Kara to think it was filled with the power of radiant sunshine. _I wonder if her smile is like it too?_

With help from Tohru, Kara eventually managed to get out of her somewhat puke stained clothes and into the warm water. The change in temperature was so drastic it caused Kara to shiver. But, oh it felt so good.

And as Tohru hummed a soft tune while helping Kara bathe herself, the american teenager found her mind drifting, going back to the times when Terrace was still alive and her life was full of happiness.

After leaving a fresh pile of clothes outside of the door to the bathroom, Shigure discovered he had absolutely no idea what to do with himself. He should probably go find Ayame and make sure Yuki hadn't killed him just yet. Or Kyo for that matter. The Dog sighed to himself. _The day keeps getting better and better. _

However, he didn't have to go very far. When Shigure turned around Ayame was running straight towards him. Shigure lifted his hand in a wave and smile at his longtime friend.. "Well Aya-san, you seem to be in quite a hurry. Care to share?"

Aya stopped in front of Shigure, his eyes wide. "Gure-san, you're not going to believe this! That girl, that's right, that girl who is with Tohru-chan right now happened to come into my shop a few days ago, absolutely soaked to the bone, asking if she could use the phone. I could tell right a way she was a damsel in distress, so naturally I allowed her to use it! Anyway, my point is that right when she was leaving Haa-san came through through the doors and the two of them collided. Now, hold your breath for just a moment, for you see Haa-san did not, I repeat, did not turn into his zodiac form! Instead, he remained as he was, a man, and the girl just ran off into the dreary night and somehow has..."

"Yes Aya-san, I know. Haa-san came here right after he visited your shop that day. We talked about it since I had a similar experience a little over a month ago. You remember me telling you about that?" When Ayame nodded, Shigure continued. "Well, it just so happens that we both managed to bump into the same girl."

"Oh, I say! That is rather strange. It almost seems as if it were fate!" Ayame peered around Shigure, looking at the door behind him. "I wonder why such a thing could happen. It seems impossible."

Shigure smiled to himself. "It certainly does seem that way, but I guess it really isn't." He sighed, leaning back against the door. "My only question is why. Why doesn't the curse effect her? Haa-san has absolutely no ideas and I have nothing either. It's a mystery."

There was silence between the two friends. Then, Ayame spoke quietly. "The funny thing about mysteries, Gure-san, is that they are meant to be solved."

Shigure chuckled. "Your right. Which means we'll have plenty of work to do in order to get any answers." Turning on his heel, he began walking towards his office. "Come on. I'll make sure to properly introduce you to Tohru once she's finished helping Kara-san."

And as Ayame followed behind him, Shigure found his mind being invaded by thoughts of the new information he had learned about Kara. He needed to share it with Hatori.

While Kara had been unconscious, the Nagasaki's had taken Nane home and dropped off a bag of Kara's belongings. Shigure had managed to drop the bag. However, while he had been picking up the bag's contents, Shigure found a small brown wallet. He had opened it, revealing Kara's student ID. It read Yagashiki Arts Academy. Personally, Shigure had been stunned. He had never expected the special academy Kara was attending would be an arts school, and a renowned one. It was a good half hour away from here by train. To think she had been traveling that distance just to attend school every single day for almost the last two months. Why hadn't she thought to find an apartment closer? It made no sense.

Shigure had decided to call the school to let them know Kara was home sick with a very bad fever and would likely be out for a few more days. While speaking with the office receptionist, Shigure had managed to find out more about Kara's circumstances, that is after he mentioned he was a family friend. She had been accepted to the school through an international scholarship, one of ten offered to anyone from out of the country. However, housing wasn't provided to anyone out of the area. Usually, scholarship students were paired with another student and lived at their home. Unfortunately, something had gone wrong with Kara's housemate, thus resulting in the teenager having to provide a home for herself.

Also, before hanging up Shigure asked what kind of art Kara was studying. The receptionist was more than happy to tell him. She was a dance student, and, if he didn't mind, the receptionist wished to express her delight at watching Kara at the orientation performance last month. She had been positively beautiful, the woman gushed. The receptionist said she would inform the teachers and wished Kara a fast recovery, then hung up, leaving Shigure to wonder about this new information.

Now he knew why Kara was here in Japan, but he still had no clue as to why she was immune to the curse. There must be a reason, one he was simply overlooking. What could it possibly be?

_But what happened to William-san's father? _

_She never mentions him. _

Shigure stopped, his mind going a hundred miles a minute, as he thought about that piece of information Kaoru had revealed during their discussion. They knew nothing of Kara's father. No one did, except perhaps Kara. He may just be the key to this mystery. Instead of finishing his journey to his office, Shigure turned back around and made his way to the phone, nearly running over Ayame on his way. Hatori had to know, immediately. Then, perhaps they would have an idea as to what Kara's immunity meant for all of them.

Shigure hoped, no, prayed it would lead to what he craved most; his freedom.

With help from Tohru, Kara made it back up the stairs and to bed, which apparently belonged to the brown-haired teenager. Kara had tried to make her take the bed back, saying she would be more than happy to sleep on the floor. Tohru wouldn't have any of that. So, here was where Kara found herself, lying in bed and waiting for the other girl to reappear with a soup she had promised to make.

Kara grimaced. She did not like people making a fuss over her. It invaded on her sense of independence, not to mention crushed a bit of her pride. _I am more than capable of taking care of myself!_ Kara tried to get up, but was met immediately with a wave of nausea. _Then again, maybe not right now. _

The door opened at the moment.

Kara turned her head toward it, expecting to see Tohru returning with a bowl of soup. Instead, it was what appeared to be a teenage boy with very bright orange hair, holding a tray. Also, he looked extremely annoyed. _What's his problem?_

He walked forward, placing the tray next to her. Without a single word, the boy left, shutting the door behind him very quickly. Kara just looked after his retreating form in shock. He hadn't even waited long enough for her to say thanks. _Asshole!_

**A/N**: I hope you all enjoyed this newest installment to _An Unexpected Love_! I expect the next chapter to be out within two weeks, as I need to update all my other stories now. Again, hope all you readers liked it :) Now, please leave a review and I will love you very much!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hello my wonderful readers who are ever so patient! Really, I applaud you and am so grateful you put up with my long intervals between updates. It makes me happy to see that you still love me anyway...or so I think :(

Now, as always, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who reviewed and all the new people who placed this story on their favorites. I love seeing those email messages. They just make me so happy ^_^

On another note, I thought you should know this was suppose to be longer, but I lost my rhythm with the chapter. I think it's been sitting in here for about two or three weeks. With that said I thought you all deserved to at least get a part of it after waiting so long.

So, without further ado, here's the next chapter!

**Disclaimer: Even with my plot to take over Japan under way, I still don't own anything. However, I do own Kara Williams and any other Ocs used in later chapters. **

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Chapter Eight

"GET OFF OF ME!"

Surprised out of one of the first restful nights of sleep she had experienced in days, Kara found herself bolting upright at the sound of pure rage coming from down the hall. Her eyes were wide open, her hair standing on end while her breath came in fits of gasps and blood roared in her ears. Trying to regain control over herself, Kara made her mind focus on her surroundings.

Currently, the American teenager was sitting upright in a futon with her blankets tangled around her body. She was still in Tohru's room and could see the other girl was in a position very much like her own. That brought a smile to her face. Tohru's expression really was priceless. Taking a few deep breaths, Kara allowed the tension to leave her body, slowly.

Once she felt mostly herself again, Kara decided to ask the question that was on her mind. "What the hell was that?"

Tohru turned her head toward the American teenager, just realizing there was still someone else in the room. "Um...well, I'm not really sure." She scratched her head, then sweat dropped rather cutely. "It kind of sounded like Kyo-kun, actually. I wonder what happened."

"Hmm, maybe he got a rude awakening." Kara replied, stretching and yawning. _The idiot deserves it anyways. He's such an ass. _

Over the last three days Kara had come to know all of the members of Shigure's household. She had been introduced to Tohru, who had spent the last few days being her nursemaid and fussing over Kara like a mother hen. At first, Kara had found the blue-eyed teenager's attention annoying, as well as humiliating. However, after the first day or so, Kara had decided she really didn't mind too much. Tohru's fussing and fretting actually reminded Kara of Terrace, the way the older woman used to act whenever she was sick. It was a comfort for Kara and resulted in the American teenager becoming severely attached to the young woman.

She had also been introduced to Yuki, Kyo and Ayame, who, Kara had been informed rather brusquely, was only visiting. When she had been introduced to the flamboyant silver-haired dressmaker, Kara had thanked him profusely for his allowing her to use his store phone. Ayame had brushed off her thanks, declaring he could not stand by while a young maiden was in distress. His antics had rather amused the American teenager, considering she had been metaphorically chained to her bed by Shigure. Once his performance was finished Kara found she rather liked Ayame, even if he could get a little annoying. His attitude was refreshing and reminded Kara of her friends back home.

However, his younger brother Yuki was someone Kara didn't really care for. It wasn't that she didn't like him, but he reminded her of too many things; made her think of how she had been a few years ago, after Terrace had taken her in. Yuki obviously had a lot of baggage in his past, a story worth knowing, but it brought back too many memories for Kara, so she decided to keep her distance and not get too friendly. Yuki seemed to realize Kara was uneasy around him and respected her wish for distance, though he obviously wanted to know why. Instead of asking, he simply was respectful and stayed away for the most part. Kara greatly appreciated this.

Now, Kyo was a completely different matter entirely. Ever since she had woken up in Shigure's house, the "Orange Top", as Kara had started calling him, had been nothing but rude, short and disrespectful to her. In response to his disregard for respect Kara found herself coming up with ways to torment him. Yesterday, she had made sure to throw up in his general direction when she became nauseous while eating dinner with everyone. Kyo's face had been priceless. After a few seconds, he had started yelling at the top of his lungs, accusing her of throwing up on purpose. Yuki had, thankfully, punched Kyo into the wall, effectively shutting him up for the next ten minutes until he regained consciousness.

Kara smiled at the memory. It had been rather humorous, though it had sent Tohru into an anxiety fit, worrying over whether or not Kyo was fine and Ayame had decided to start praising his younger brother incessantly. The commotion had been too much for Kara and she had retreated to the safety of the bathroom where she could finish throwing up the contents of her stomach in peace.

Now, it was the morning after and Kara felt even more disgruntled with the loud mouth Orange Top for his rudely awakening her. Kara sighed, rising to her feet and continuing to stretch the kinks out of her sleep groggy body. She looked back at Tohru, who had risen from her bed as well and was currently starting to get dressed for school.

"I'm gonna head on downstairs. 'Kay Tohru-chan?"

Tohru looked over toward Kara, smiled and then nodded. "Sure thing! I'll be down in just a few minutes to get breakfast ready."

Kara smiled and nodded back, then headed for the first level of the house. The American teenager continued to stretch as she descended the stairs and let out a huge yawn, which was how Shigure found her when he came down the hall.

"Good morning Kara-chan! Sleep well?" Shigure inquired, as he stopped in front of Kara, a kind smile on his face.

Kara gave a small smile back. "Yeah, though I could've done without the wake up call." Kara glanced back at Shigure as she walked past him, heading for the kitchen. The older man fell in step beside her. "How about you? Sleep well?"

Shigure stiffened for a minute, his expression becoming very cautious.Strange.

"Yes, I slept rather well." Suddenly, his shoulders relaxed and his face slid back into an easy smile. "And I quite agree. I would have rather awakened in a few hours rather than now. I'll have to talk to Kyo about keeping it quieter in the morning."

Kara laughed as she entered the kitchen. "Yeah? And do you really think Orange Top would listen to you?" She glanced at him slyly.

Shigure chuckled. "No, I highly doubt it. If there's one thing Kyo-kun excels at it's not listening to the advice others give him."

"Hmph, more like pissing off everyone he's ever met if you ask me." Kara muttered, grabbing a glass from the cupboard and pouring herself some milk. Her comment was met by silence.

"You really don't care for Kyo." It was a statement, not a question.

Kara let out a sigh, turning around to look Shigure in the face. She leaned back on the counter and crossed her arms over her chest, trying for nonchalance. "It's not that I don't like him. It's more of I just can't be in the same room with him without getting extremely annoyed." Kara thought for a moment before continuing. "Besides, it's not like he's given me any reason to like him. All he ever does is yell and he's always so rude to me. I can't stand people who act like that!"

She turned around, slamming her glass of milk on the counter. Kyo's behavior toward her really made no sense. And quite honestly, it really pissed Kara off. It made her fist just itch, wanting to introduce itself to his face. That would be fun.

Shigure's voice broke through Kara's muddling. "Give him time Kara-chan. I'm sure he'll come around...eventually." The older man grimaced.

Kara laughed sarcastically. "Right. Honestly Shigure-san, the day Kyo stops giving me shit will be the day I cry in front of him. It'll never happen."

With that said, Kara pushed away from the counter and made her way to leave the kitchen, heading for the bathroom. Unfortunately, on her way out of the room, Kara found Kyo standing outside of the doorway, his eyes wide and mouth gaping. Before he could say anything, Kara shoved past the speechless teenager, continuing on to her destination, never once looking back.

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Kyo didn't know what to say. He had been on his way to the kitchen, planning on getting something to drink until Tohru made breakfast. When he'd arrived at the entrance, he had heard voices inside. He had stopped and stood outside for a minute, making sure it'd be a good idea to go in when he had heard Shigure say to Kara, "You really don't like Kyo."

He had remained where he was, listening to Kara's response and feeling ashamed. He hadn't meant to be an ass toward the American teen. It just seemed like he couldn't help acting like one whenever she was around. Kyo couldn't explain it. And he felt bad, but for some reason he seemed unable to make himself apologize for his behavior. He simply couldn't do it.

Then, while Kyo was trying to digest this information and make sense of his own reactions, Kara had come out of the kitchen. She had noticed him immediately. Instead of asking whether or not he had heard anything, she had pushed past him, leaving Kyo to wonder what he was to do.

_I can't think here. I need to get out_. Kyo made for the front door. Opening it up, he went through and broke out into a run, leaving the house and his problems in it, if only for the moment.

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Shigure watched from the window as Kyo ran from the house. He had known the teenager was outside the kitchen door and had purposely said what he had. He wanted Kyo and Kara to sort out whatever the issue was between them. The atmosphere between the two was starting to suffocate him and he didn't like it. Maybe it had something to do with the curse not working on Kara. Could that be the reason behind it? Shigure sighed. He really had no clue. He just wanted his house to go back to being semi-peaceful instead of this all-out animosity.

It was at that moment Tohru glided into the room, her sunny smile already in place. "Good morning Shigure-san!"

The man in question turned toward the brown-haired teenager, smiling in response. "Good morning Tohru-kun. How're you doing this morning?"

"Just great, thanks for asking." She made her way toward the fridge, tying on an apron as she went. "So, any requests for breakfast?"

Shigure shook his head. "None from me. Just make something delicious, like you always do."

"Yes sir!" With that said, Tohru began to busy herself with making breakfast, leaving Shigure unoccupied. Having nothing better to do, Shigure left the kitchen and headed for his office.

Once inside his writing domain, Shigure went to his desk and sat down. Then, he stared at the wall, trying desperately not to remember his dreams from last night. Even now they caused him to shudder.

Shigure's mind took him back to last night as he slept. He had been inside some rather bizarre room, one where there was nothing but noise, incessant noise that made his headache. Random objects had filled his vision, causing him to go nearly blind. He was lost, lost in the madness of the noise and chaos.

Then, he had seen her. Akito_._

He had run toward her, fighting the chaos that consumed his dream. Shigure had struggled, constantly struggled, trying to reach her side. If he could, somehow he knew all the madness would go away. He could be with his beloved and everything would be alright. Such childish thinking.

Finally, after what had seemed like hours, he had reached her. His Akito. His one and only love. She had turned toward him and smiled, the smile he wished to see on her lips once again. Shigure stretched out his arms, enfolding her in his embrace. She had embraced him back, her tiny arms squeezing him tight. At that moment, Shigure's heart filled with joy. She was his. His Akito, his beloved, was finally his. Shigure couldn't hold back his smile. He was so happy.

Then, his happiness had shattered.

Akito's form, which he held so dearly to him, dissipated into thin air. She was gone. His beloved was gone. This wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare.

He had awoken screaming, his hands fisted in the covers, his body slicked in sweat, his breathing labored.

Was his dream some kind of premonition? A warning perhaps? What was he to make of it? _**Would he never have his beloved? **_Shigure couldn't keep these thoughts from his head. They continued to plague him as he lie in bed, not being able to fall back asleep. Eventually, he gave up on sleep all together and started getting up when he had heard Kyo's exclamation from upstairs. For some reason, Shigure was pretty sure it had something to do with Ayame.

And then he had run into the other female who had invaded his dreams recently. Kara, his temporary house guest who caused Shigure to feel and think things he did not _want_ to think about. He had been unable to breath for a moment when he saw her. It was just a moment, but enough for Shigure to notice. And he hated it.

She wasn't suppose to affect him. At the most, he should only feel concern for her well being and care for her as an acquaintance. He should feel nothing more for her than he did for Tohru. That was all. And yet, he couldn't seem to only think of her that way. Shigure tried to blame the fact the curse did not work on Kara for his fascination, but in his heart, he knew better. He liked her.

His body's fascination with the teenager wouldn't be denied either. Today had been the first time Shigure had seen Kara really moving around since she'd fallen ill. The reminder of how exquisitely attractive her body was hadn't not lost on him. She had stood at the bottom of the stairs in a pair of baggy boxer shorts clinging to her hips, a slightly loose fitting shirt completing the ensemble with her hair in disarray from sleeping. The clothes did nothing to hide her figure, hinting to the curves that lay beneath the fabric. And her hair, it's silken wavy locks, were just begging for someone to smooth it out. It had been maddening.

Yes, he found her attractive, but that was all. He couldn't think anything more of her. He couldn't. No, he wouldn't. She was not his one and only. Akito was. Nothing would make him forget that fact. Nothing.

However, it seemed the fates were trying their damn hardest to do just that.

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